154Prussia. Frederick William IV, 1840–1861.
Gold medal in the weight of 50 ducats
commemorating the publication of the second volume
of Alexander von Humboldt’s *Kosmos*.
NGC MS 65 PL.
From the estate of Emperor William I.Estimate: 40.000 Euro

166Prussia. Frederick William IV, 1840–1861.
Gold medal in the weight of 50 ducats commemorating
the unveiling of the equestrian statue of
Frederick the Great on Unter den Linden in Berlin in 1851.
NGC MS 63 PL.
From the estate of Emperor William I.Estimate: 25.000 Euro

191Prussia. William I, 1861–1888.
General’s Medal in the weight of 120 ducats, 1871,
commemorating the victory over France.
A magnificent specimen.
From the estate of Emperor William I.Estimate: 75.000 Euro

297Russia. Nicholas I, 1825–1855. Family ruble.
1 1/2 rubles (10 zlotys), 1835, St. Petersburg.
NGC MS 64 (Top Pop).
Only 36 examples struck.
A cabinet piece from polished dies.
From the estate of King Frederick William IV.Estimate: 250.000 Euro

1098Holland. Province.
5 ducats, 1681.
Struck with the dies of a guilder.
NGC PF 64 Cameo.
Proof.Estimate: 40.000 Euro

1192HRE. Ferdinand II, 1592–1618–1637.
5 ducats, 1634, Vienna.
Extremely rare.
Extremely fine-uncirculated.Estimate: 10.000 Euro

1266HRE. Vienna.
Salvator Medal in the weight of 12 ducats,
n. d.(around 1840).
NGC PF 61 CAMEO.
Proof.Estimate: 15.000 Euro

1334City of Regensburg.
5 ducats, n. d. (1708–1710),
with the title of Joseph I. NGC MS 64.
Extremely rare. According to mint records,
only 7 copies struck.
A magnificent piece.Estimate: 25.000 Euro

1602German New Guinea.
10 New Guinea Marks, 1895 A.
NGC MS 65.
A magnificent piece.Estimate: 50.000 Euro

2757Saxony.
John Frederick the Magnanimous and
Maurice, 1541–1547.
Trinity Medal, 1544.
A masterpiece of German medal art. Magnificent,
excellent craftsmanship.Estimate: 75.000 Euro

Archive: People and Markets

A reconstruction of what the gold necklace probably looked like. Illustration made by archaeologist Thea Eli Gil Bell. © Theo Eli Gil Bell, The Museum of Archaeology, University of Stavanger.

Baldrs Horse: Detectorist Makes “Find of the Century” in Norway

On the Norwegian island of Rennesøy, a metal detectorist recently made an extraordinary gold find that was buried long before the Viking Age. The nine coin-like gold pendants engraved with rare horse symbols discovered along with ten gold beads and three gold rings are the first find of this kind in Norway since the 19th century.

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The German grading capital: The Certified Collectibles Group has its European headquarters for the grading of coins and banknotes in Munich. Photo: Annet Debar / Canva Pro.

PMG Now Grading Banknotes Year-round in Munich

The introduction of full-time PMG grading services in Munich, initially available for the Bulk and Modern tiers, marks a new expansion of the company’s services for the paper money collecting community in Europe.

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This Panticapaeum stater was minted in the 4th century on the Crimea and was sold by auction house NAC in May 2023 for 5,390,000 CHF. Image courtesy of Numismatica Ars Classica.

Panticapaeum Stater Most Expensive Ancient Coin

A gold stater from the city of Panticapaeum is currently the most expensive ancient coin ever sold at auction. In May 2023, it was sold by Numismatica Ars Classica in Switzerland for the record sum of 5,390,000 CHF or ca. $6 million.

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Stockholm: Lawsuit against Royal Coin Cabinet thief

In April we had to report that at least 1,200 objects worth the equivalent of 2.6 million euros had disappeared from the Stockholm Royal Coin Cabinet. A perpetrator is now standing trial. A second one is the subject of ongoing investigations.

Archive: Coins, Medals and more

Background: Doktent via Wikicommons / CC BY-SA 4.0.

Regensburg: Where the Emperor and the Empire Met

Only a few German cities issued as magnificent early modern coins as Regensburg. And there is a good reason for this – gold and heavy silver coins in particular were in high demand in this city. Not for trading purposes but for representation. After all, the Perpetual Diet of the Holy Roman Empire sat in Regensburg. Read here how it worked and what role coins played in this event.
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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