Archive: People and Markets

Sir Winston Churchill at 150: Highlights From the J. Eric Engstrom Medal Collection

Last November, Winston Churchill would have turned 150 years old. To mark the occasion, the Heberden Coin Room at the Ashmolean is displaying pieces from their rich collection of medals related to Churchill, most of which come from the J. Eric Engstrom Collection of Churchill Medals.

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Florida Recognises Gold and Silver as Legal Tender

A new step in the monetary policy of US states: the “Sunshine State” will soon allow certain precious metal coins to be used in everyday transactions. However, this alternative form of currency must meet specific requirements in order to qualify.

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Die drei Könige auf den Münzen des Chew Valley Horts: Auf etwas weniger als der Hälfte der Münzen ist Harald II. Godwinson, der letzte gekrönte sächsische König von England, abgebildet (unten rechts). Etwas mehr als die Hälfte zeigt Wilhelm I., den Eroberer, den ersten normannischen König (unten links). Eine Münze zeigt Edward den Bekenner (oben). © British Museum.

The UK’s Highest Value Treasure Find Ever Discovered

All a group of friends really wanted to do was enjoy a relaxing weekend away and try out a new metal detector. The unexpected result of this trip is the highest value treasure find ever discovered in Great Britain. The coins will soon be on display at the British Museum.

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A Force of Nature Embodied in a Coin: CIT’s Lost City – Pompeii

CIT has captured the dramatic eruption of Mount Vesuvius in the year 79 with a three-dimensional representation. True to scale, and thanks to smartminting® in every detail, we see erupting Vesuvius, pouring its lava over the buildings of the city of Pompeii.

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Archive: Coins, Medals and more

Karl Ludwig von Bruck, the mastermind behind the Vienna Coinage Treaty. We chose not to depict Emperor Franz Josef I at this point, who is shown on the coins, but the liberal politician Karl Ludwig von Bruck. Born into the family of a bookbinder in Elberfeld (now Wuppertal, Germany), he worked his way up from a merchant’s position to become Austria’s finance minister. He could almost be described as a beacon of hope for Austrian economic policy. It was tragic – and not just for him personally – that Franz Josef “ungraciously” dismissed him in April 1860 on false suspicions. The then 61-year-old took his own life. This deprived Austria of an imaginative politician who might have prevented its economic marginalization by Prussia.

A War Fought with Unusual Weapons: How Prussia Used Finance and Politics to Force the Habsburg Hereditary Lands Out of the German Confederation

On 26 March 2024, the Künker auction house will offer the Tursky Collection with coins of Emperor Franz Joseph I. We use specimens from this collection to tell the story of how Prussia used its economic sway to become the sole hegemonic power in Germany.

The Wedding of a Century in Saxony

In the days of absolutism, a feast was not simply a gathering of friends and family. It was a political means of propagating one’s status. That is exactly what Augustus the Strong did in 1719. His son’s wedding was nothing but a welcome occasion.
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