Archive: People and Markets

New Issues From Croatia: Halubje Bell Ringers to Chase Away the Winter

Croatia has a unique carnival tradition. Masked figures chase away the winter with their large bells. These bell ringers have been on the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage List since 2009. The Croatian Mint dedicates three commemorative coins to them, issued on 18 February 2025.

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Lithuania Effectively Abolishes One- and Two-Cent Coins – and Sparks a New Debate

Farewell to small change: another eurozone country is saying goodbye to the smallest cent coins. In Germany, the debate is also gaining momentum – whereas Austria remains relaxed and is observing developments.

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The Black Lizard from Brusnik Island in Ultra-High Relief

Croatia is home to a lizard species that would have impressed even Darvin himself: the autochthonous black lizard, found only on the island of Brusnik. On 14 March 2024, Croatia issued three collector coins in its honour. Now the fourth, a two-ounce silver version in ultra-high relief, has been released.

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The Brasher Doubloon, graded by NGC. Photo: CCG.

The Certified Collectibles Group: More than Coins and Comic Books

In 2021, the Certified Collectibles Group surprised the numismatic community by announcing that the Blackstone investment firm would become a majority shareholder. This raised the question of what this might mean for the coin market. Ursula Kampmann was in Sarasota to visit the new Certified Collectibles Group.

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Archive: Coins, Medals and more

VOC: The Other Side of the Dutch Golden Age

VOC coins tell the story of the Netherlands’ colonial past. The States General granted the VOC all the rights of an independent state: it could declare war, make treaties and issue its own currency. Join us on a trip to Indonesia, the place where the spices grew that financed the Dutch Golden Age.
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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