Archive: People and Markets

How the Romans Made Counterfeits

Counterfeits have been around in ancient Roman times, too – usually, they were cast from a copper-tin alloy. Researchers at the University of Tübingen examined the counterfeiting process and reconstructed it experimentally. A video documents their experiment.

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Stack’s Bowers Announces 2025 Professional Numismatist Program

If you have ever considered making your hobby your profession, the Stack’s Bowers Professional Numismatist Program offers an opportunity to acquire the skills necessary to be successful in this field.

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NGC Grading Coins On-site in Munich in November 2024

NGC will once again offer its popular on-site grading service of pre-1965 coins and medals at its office in Munich, Germany, from November 11-16, 2024.

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A-Mark Precious Metals Acquires Stack’s Bowers Galleries

One of the largest auctioneers in the numismatic world has a new owner. Stack’s Bowers Galleries, including its parent company, entered into a definitive merger agreement to be acquired by A-Mark Precious Metals.

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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 contents of a piggy bank from the Deutsche Mark era – a case for the Bundesbank exchange counter? Photo: Wieschowski.

Marks and Pfennigs in Your Inheritance: What Should Heirs Do with Old DM Coins?

When dealing with inheritances, it’s common for heirs to come across coins from the Deutsche Mark era –often, these Pfennigs and Marks can feel overwhelming. However, heading straight to the Bundesbank, where nearly all DM coins can be exchanged indefinitely, isn’t always the best option.
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