Archive: People and Markets

Professor Rory Naismith holding a Byzantine silver coin in the Fitzwilliam Museum. Photo: Adam Page.

Where Did Silver Come from in Early Medieval Europe?

In the mid-7th century, a veritable silver coin boom set off in the North Sea Region. So far, the question of where the silver for the coins came from was up for speculation. A new study provides concrete results.

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Die Unterwasserarchäologen bei der Arbeit. Foto: Ufficio Stampa e Communicazione MiC

Archaeologists in Awe at the Sight of Sardinia’s Folles Hoard

Italian archaeologists are calling it one of the most important finds in recent years: up to 50,000 bronze coins dating from the 4th century have been discovered off the Sardinian coast. Apart from the outstanding size of this hoard, the coins’ condition is also astonishing.

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CoinsWeekly Special Issue for the Evento Numismático International Madrid 2025

On the occasion of the 2025 Evento Numismático International in Madrid, we are once again publishing one of our printed CoinsWeekly Special Issues, this time in Spanish. Read all about the Traveling Emperor Hadrian and his coinage.

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Cheyenne, Wyoming. Background: Vasiliymeshko / CC BY-SA 4.0

Suspect Arrested for Double Homicide at Coin Shop Nine Years After the Crime

The double murder of a coin shop owner and a second victim in Cheyenne, Wyoming, lay unsolved for almost a decade. Now a suspect is on trial – the very man who had called the police to the crime scene.

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Archive: Coins, Medals and more

The Suffering of Leiden – A Siege During the Dutch Revolt

The third part of the Beuth Collection that Künker offers in Auction 420 contains many historically interesting emergency and siege coins. They were issued by the Dutch towns besieged by Spain during the 80 Years' War. One of these towns was Leiden, which to this day commemorates the end of the siege every year with a festival.
Napoleon III, painting by Alexandre Cabanel, around 1865. It was the favourite portrait of Empress Eugénie because it was the most accurate depiction of him.

French History in Coins – Part 3: A New Napoleon

Under Emperor Napoleon III, France experienced an economic upswing. The Paris cityscape was completely revamped, just as coin designs. The gold rush in the US thrust Europe’s silver money into a crisis. The answer came from France.
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