Archive: People and Markets

The Numismatic Index on 13 June 2023

The numismatic index numindex transparently shows how the prices of selected coins change over time. In the style of a stock index, it was designed for collectors who consider their collection an investment. Find out about the current state of the index.

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.

This 5-pound gold bar recovered from the famous Atocha shipwreck sunk in 1622 is up for auction on May 7 in Daniel Frank Sedwick, LLC’s Treasure Auction 35. Painting in the background: „Atocha Meets Her Fate,” by Ralph Curnow (2009), from: Sedwick Treasure Auction #6 (2009), lot 1969.

Gold Bar from Famous Shipwreck Comes Under the Hammer

In 1622, the Nuestra Señora de Atocha sank off the coast of Key West along with all the treasures on board. Sedwick is now auctioning off one of the largest gold bars ever recovered.

Moderne Gedenkmünzen können als Sammelgebiet viel Freunde bereiten. Aber eine nachhaltige Wertanlage sind sie nicht.

The Difference Between Stamps and Coins: Not as Trivial as You’d Think!

There are times when uninformed people buy anything as long as the object in question might retain its value. Disillusionment strikes when the market situation changes. The realisation that there isn’t a market for every collectible ruined many a collecting field in the past. Ursula Kampmann urges caution.

Archive: Coins, Medals and more

What People Used to Pay With in South Africa

Coins are only the most recent of the many means of payment used in South Africa. And yet, there is much to be told about the country’s numismatic past. We tell the story of South African means of payment from glass beads to the rand.
Jean Duplessis-Bertaux, The Storming of the Tuleries on 10 August 1792, 1793.

French History in Coins – Part 1: Kings, Consuls and Emperors

The French Revolution also revolutionised the country’s monetary system. Join us on our voyage through the monetary history of modern France. We will start with the First Republic and one of the most famous French coins out there.
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