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.

Following Last Year’s Success: Münze Deutschland Again Sells Show Rarity at the World Money Fair

The World Money Fair is a haven for collectors hunting for limited-edition rarities. In 2024, a German coin card featuring the €2 coin “Mecklenburg-Vorpommern / Königsstuhl” caught everyone’s eye—and its market value skyrocketed to over €200. Münze Deutschland is now building on this success.

Eisleben, Germany: Church Treasure Recovered After Almost 400 Years

What a find: last year, a hoard of 864 coins was discovered in a sandstone figure in a church in Eisleben, Germany. The coins were hidden there during the Thirty Years’ War and provide a rare insight into the currency in circulation at that time. A coin expert from the region tells us more about it.

Myntauktioner i Sverige AB Enters Partnership with Künker

Cooperation is the key to success. Following this motto, the Künker auction house enters another strategic partnership with Myntauktioner i Sverige AB, headed by Dan Carlberg, Sweden’s leading auction house.

Archive: Coins, Medals and more

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.

The Gnadenpfennig – An Object Between Decoration, Medal, and Coin

Gnadenpfennigs are an extremely rare category of numismatic objects. Künker is proud to offer nine lots in auction 418 on 29 January 2025 that are, or are likely to be, gnadenpfennigs. We explain the purpose of these issues and when they were created.
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