Archive: People and Markets

Gold Coins With Altered Years: Also a Known Problem in Switzerland

In one of our last issues, we published an article by NGC about a Prussian gold coin with an altered year. Switzerland is also very familiar with such forgeries, as Patrick Huber tells us.

Researchers Analyse the Myth About the Massive Illicit Trade in Antiquities

An extensive new study shows that the scale of the illicit trade in antiquities is much smaller than activists claim. The study demonstrates how these false numbers came about, and how we actually should deal with the problem of the illicit trade in antiquities.

Dominique Hollard and Marie-Laure Le Brazidec, Monnaies et Monnayages en Avignon entre Provence et Papauté. Recherches et Travaux de la Société d’Études Numismatiques et Archéologiques (RTSÉNA) 10. Proceedings of the colloquium of May 25-28, 2017 at the Calvet Museum – Avignon. SÉNA, Paris 2022. France: 35 EUR, overseas: 45 EUR.

Coins and Mints in Avignon Between Provence and Papacy

The French Society for Numismatic and Archaeological Studies (SÉNA) published the proceedings of their 2017 colloquium. The volume presents various works and studies on the coinage in and around Avignon.

Eisleben, Germany: Church Treasure Recovered After Almost 400 Years

What a find: last year, a hoard of 864 coins was discovered in a sandstone figure in a church in Eisleben, Germany. The coins were hidden there during the Thirty Years’ War and provide a rare insight into the currency in circulation at that time. A coin expert from the region tells us more about it.

Archive: Coins, Medals and more

Maria Theresa and Her Persecution of Jews

On 18 December 1744, Maria Theresa adopted a decree that expelled 40,000 Bohemian Jews from their homeland. A medal testifies to the fact that she had to revoke the decree due to financial and diplomatic pressure. The time of Jewish persecution was over for the time being – that is, until the genocide of the Jews in the 20th century.

In Search of the Big Five

The Big Five – they are the stars on South Africa's commemorative coins. We visit the elephant, lion, rhino, buffalo, and leopard in their most famous reserve, the Kruger National Park. Let's see how many of the iconic five we can capture (with the camera).
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