Archive: People and Markets

Voting for the Best Latvian Collector Coin of 2024 is Open

From 24 March to 6 April 2025, Latvijas Banka, in cooperation with the news portal Delfi, organises the traditional public vote “Latvia’s Coin of the Year 2024”. This vote will, for the 21st time, determine the public’s favourite collector coin issued during the previous year.

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Euro Counterfeits: Fraudsters Increasingly Target Commemorative Coins

The number of counterfeit euro coins surged dramatically in 2023, with €2 coins—particularly commemorative issues—being the primary targets. Counterfeiters are employing increasingly sophisticated techniques, while investigators are analysing new varieties to track down illegal minting operations.

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A heroic connection? The US Mint is planning coins and medals featuring comic book heroes from the DC universe. Photo: United States Mint / DC LOGO: © & ™ DC.

When Coins meet Comics: United States Mint and Warner Bros. Join Forces

The Historic modern culture partnership is a first of its kind for the United States Mint. Collectors are invited to vote for their favorite superheroes that will be appearing on US coins soon.

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Spring Sberatel Fair 2024

The spring edition of the Sberatel collector fair will take place on March 22 and 23 – the perfect opportunity to combine your hobby with a trip to beautiful Prague!

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Archive: Coins, Medals and more

Background: Doktent via Wikicommons / CC BY-SA 4.0.

Regensburg: Where the Emperor and the Empire Met

Only a few German cities issued as magnificent early modern coins as Regensburg. And there is a good reason for this – gold and heavy silver coins in particular were in high demand in this city. Not for trading purposes but for representation. After all, the Perpetual Diet of the Holy Roman Empire sat in Regensburg. Read here how it worked and what role coins played in this event.
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.
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