Archive: People and Markets
How Two Fraudsters Almost Changed England’s History
Two English metal detectorists attempted to sell off some illegally excavated coins. In a police operation straight out of a movie, the pair were caught and have now been sentenced. The seized coins present England’s King Alfred the Great in a totally different light.
John Highfill († 15 June 2025)
Tulsa, Oklahoma rare coin dealer John Highfill, founder of the National Silver Dollar Roundtable and author of a landmark 1,200-page reference book, The Comprehensive U.S. Silver Dollar Encyclopedia, passed away on June 15, 2025. He was 82.
Archive: Coins, Medals and more

What Do Gaming Counters Have to Do with Numismatics?
On 5 July 2025, Künker will offer a complete set of trictrac pieces at its auction 425. The ensemble is of great cultural and historical value. This prompts us to ask why gaming counters are part of the numismatic field – and what insights they can offer into the numismatic daily life of the early modern period.

Numismatic Issues Concerning Health, Medicine and Women in Times of Covid, Part 3: Personifications of Health and Medicine
Over the course of the Covid pandemic, health care professionals have attracted increased media attention. Gabriele Sturm examined the question of how women in health care professions were depicted on coins in the past, and how they are represented today. The last part of this series deals with personifications of health care and medicine.











G+D Receives IACA Award for the “Green Banknote”
The “Green Banknote”, developed by Giesecke+Devrient, was awarded by the International Association of Currency Affairs as the new best ecological sustainability project in the banknote sector. Why? Read on.
A Visit to Alesia
Alesia is part of France’s national heritage; it is where Vercingetorix lost the decisive battle against Caesar. Time and again, French politicians have been inspired by this defeat. It fuelled their will to resist and motivated France to cooperate with victorious powers. This also affected the place itself, which Ursula Kampmann visited.