Archive: People and Markets

Coin Dealer Robbed: Why We Lose More Than Just Money When We Are Burgled

In 2024, an English coin dealer’s home was broken into and coins worth £500,000 were stolen. Two men have now been jailed for the crime. However, this does not make everything right for the coin dealer.

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Foreign Coin Production Ends at the Royal Mint – The End of an Era or Another Step Closer to a Cashless Economy?

The Royal Mint has announced that it will no longer produce coins for other countries, ending a business model that it has operated for 700 years. Michael Alexander puts this development into perspective.

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The last time the coins were catalogued in a paper format in 1905. Image: University of Glasgow.

Collection of British Celtic Coins Accessible Online

A collection of Celtic British coins in the possession of The Hunterian Museum in Glasgow is now digitally catalogued and accessible worldwide, thanks to student volunteers from the University of Glasgow.

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Between Tradition and the Demands of a New Economic World

The 32nd Mint Directors Conference took place in Cape Town from April 27th to 29th, 2025. It was the highlight of my numismatic journey through South Africa. In an international context, South Africa presented itself as a promising country of (numismatic) opportunities.

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Archive: Coins, Medals and more

Horace Vernet, Barrikadenkampf in der Rue Soufflot, Paris, 25. Juni 1848 (Juniaufstand).

French History in Coins – Part 2: From the Second Republic to the Second Empire

In the 19th century, people in France suffered from hunger and poverty. There were uprisings and a revolution. But the first president of the new republic was a nephew of Napoleon and completely took after the old emperor.
Sotheby’s, The One (2nd February 2024), lot 8: The 2nd May 1840 Penny Black Cover. Estimate: $1,500,000 – $2,500,000.

The First Piece of Mail Sent Using a Stamp to Be Offered at Sotheby’s

A Penny Black affixed to a Mulready envelope is among the most valuable items in Philately ever offered at auction. The earliest posted envelope using a prepaid stamp, dating to 1840, will be sold at Sotheby’s with an estimate of $1.5–2.5 million.
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