Archive: People and Markets

A Visit to the Japan Mint

Japan is a country where cash still plays an important role. Therefore, the Japan Mint is not a single institution but consists of several branches. Ursula Kampmann visited their offices in Saitama. Join her on a tour through the mint!

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Al was mentor to many young people in numismatics. Image provided by Stephen Album Rare Coins.

Dr. Albert J. Beck (1935-2024)

Dr. Albert (“Al”) J. Beck passed on Wednesday, June 12, 2024. Our friends from Stephen Album Rare Coins shared this obituary for their colleague with us.

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One of the coins seized during the police’s Operation Fantail. (Courtesy of Durham Constabulary.) Next to it, a passage from the biography of Alfred the Great written by Asser. The coin presents the prominent 9th-century ruler in a whole new light.

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.

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Famous Dacian Helmet Stolen – Thieves Blasted Their Way Into the Museum

On the night of 24 to 25 January, a museum in Assen, Netherlands, was targeted by thieves. They stole four important Dacian gold objects from a temporary exhibition – including the famous Coțofenești helmet. Do we have to worry about it being melted down as well?

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Archive: Coins, Medals and more

Background: Kremnica. Photo: Lukkon / CC BY-SA 4.0.

The First Years of Czechoslovak Coinage

SINCONA will auction off an impressive collection of Czechoslovak patterns. The offer includes a pattern for the Wenceslas Ducat of which only two specimens exist. Moreover, the sale features the very specimen of the Wenceslas Ducat that President Mazaryk gave to the family of the murdered Finance Minister Rašín.
Gaius Iulius Vindex. Denar, zwischen März und Mai 68, Vienne(?). Äußerst selten. Vorzüglich. Taxe: 1.500 Euro. Aus Auktion Heidelberger Münzhandlung 89 (12. November 2024), Nr. 113. Hintergrund: Büste Neros, im Kapitolnischen Museum in Rom (cjh1452000 - CC BY-SA 3.0) und Büste Galbas im Stockholmer Schloss (Wolfgang Sauber / CC BY-SA 3.0).

The Roman Civil War of 68/9: The Prelude to the Year of the Four Emperors

Heidelberger Münzhandlung will offer a series of coins of impeccable quality struck during the Roman Civil War at its auction on 12 and 13 November 2024. We take advantage of this opportunity to examine the historical background of these issues, going back to a time when counter-emperors did not (yet) dare to put their portrait on coins.
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