Archive: People and Markets

Bernt Ahlström circa 1980. Photo: Family Archive.

Bernt Ahlström (1936-2019)

You will hardly find a dealer in the numismatic world who is completely unfamiliar with the name Bernt Ahlstrom. On the occasion of the sale of his numismatic library at Gut-Lynt, Arne Kirsch recounts the eventful life of the coin dealer and bon vivant.

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Directory of Circulating Coins – 4th Edition is Now Available

The fourth edition of the Directory of Circulating Coins has been published. Five years after the last edition, the useful reference book for current circulation coins is now up to date again.

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Jere L. Bacharach (1938-2023)

Jere L. Bacharach, expert on Islamic numismatics, died in April 2023. The ANS remembers its long-time member of the Board of Trustees, and an invaluable scholar of the numismatic community and Middle Eastern studies.

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Milchflecken und abblätternde Farbe: Die Qualität deutscher Sammlermünzen gibt Anlass zur Sorge. Doch nicht nur Deutschland ist betroffen. Münzbilder: Sebastian Wieschowski, Hintergrund: UK.

An “Error Coin” No Collector Is Happy About

The quality of the country’s collector coins is the subject of heated debate in Germany. This regards silver coins and colour issues. But the problem is not limited to German mints – the phenomenon of “milk spots” in particular is a major concern for coin producers around the world.

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Archive: Coins, Medals and more

A Medal Made by Dürer as the Official Gift of the City of Nuremberg for Charles V

On 29 January 2025, auction house Künker will be auctioning an object of major art-historical importance in Berlin: the very Albrecht Dürer himself had been commissioned by the Nuremberg City Council to create the dies for medals that were to be officially handed to Charles V during his entry into the city in 1521.
Only 138 out of the planned 1,000 pieces were minted. This makes the Lion Dance a highly contested collector’s coin!

100 Yuan Lion Dance 1995: One of the Rarest Chinese Coins of Our Age

From 13 to 15 May 2024, Heidelberger Münzhandlung will hold its 88th auction sale. Among the highlights are some of the rarest contemporary issues from China, including the 100-yuan Lion Dance coin of 1995. 1,000 specimens should have been minted – but in the end, only 138 were produced.
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