Archive: People and Markets

How the Romans Made Counterfeits

Counterfeits have been around in ancient Roman times, too – usually, they were cast from a copper-tin alloy. Researchers at the University of Tübingen examined the counterfeiting process and reconstructed it experimentally. A video documents their experiment.

Counterfeiters of Hundreds of Thousands of Euro Coins Arrested

A large-scale counterfeiting workshop has been raided in Spain. The culprits put half a million fake 2-euro coins in circulation throughout Europe. Read on to find out how the perpetrators evaded the police for years and how you can identify the counterfeits.

CoinFindsViewer – Roman Coin Finds in Southern Germany

Recently a new numismatic project went online: the CoinFindsViewer represents the first large-scale visualization of Roman coin find data in southern Germany. It enables users to interactively explore the dataset along the Roman frontier, the Limes, and its hinterland across various historical periods.

Emsiges Treiben auf der Münzenmesse in Zürich. Auch hier bemerkten Sammler und Händler den Momentanen Trend. Foto: Michael M. Zagorowski.

Numindex Update: Prices for Mid-Grade Coins Are on the Rise

Even the Prices for mid-grade coins are on the rise at the moment. That is confirmed by the coin price index numindex. Michael Zagorowski tells us about the causes and recent observations in the trade and at coin shows.

Archive: Coins, Medals and more

Only 138 out of the planned 1,000 pieces were minted. This makes the Lion Dance a highly contested collector’s coin!

100 Yuan Lion Dance 1995: One of the Rarest Chinese Coins of Our Age

From 13 to 15 May 2024, Heidelberger Münzhandlung will hold its 88th auction sale. Among the highlights are some of the rarest contemporary issues from China, including the 100-yuan Lion Dance coin of 1995. 1,000 specimens should have been minted – but in the end, only 138 were produced.
Mit dieser Münze stimmt etwas nicht! Bild: NGC. Gemälde im Hintergrund: Eduard Gaertner, Unter den Linden, 1852

Counterfeit Detection: Altered Prussia 20 Mark

An NGC expert gives us insight into his everyday life. He shows how the year on a coin from the German Empire was altered by a coin doctor.
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