Archive: People and Markets
Elagabalus’ New Transgender Identity and Its Consequences on the Coin Trade
The North Hertfordshire Museum has pulled off an ingenious PR coup: the institution publicly announced that they will no longer refer to Elagabalus as “he” but as “she”. Ursula Kampmann explores how this might affect the coin trade.
Further Investigations into the Stolen Celtic Coin Hoard
Following police success in the case of the stolen Celtic gold hoard, the authorities have made additional details public. It appears that the perpetrators were professionals, but their professionalism was their undoing.
Archive: Coins, Medals and more

Between Triumph and Tragedy – Maximilian II Emanuel, “The Prince of Bankrupts”
Maximilian II Emanuel of Bavaria, known as gifted general, an avid builder, and a passionate collector of art, led a turbulent life. Medals offered in Auction 18 of Leu Numismatik AG reflect both the heights and humiliations of Maximilian’s military campaigns in southern Germany.

A Medal Made by Dürer as the Official Gift of the City of Nuremberg for Charles V
On 29 January 2025, auction house Künker will be auctioning an object of major art-historical importance in Berlin: the very Albrecht Dürer himself had been commissioned by the Nuremberg City Council to create the dies for medals that were to be officially handed to Charles V during his entry into the city in 1521.










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.
An “Error Coin” No Collector Is Happy About
The quality of the country’s collector coins is the subject of heated debate in Germany. This regards silver coins and colour issues. But the problem is not limited to German mints – the phenomenon of “milk spots” in particular is a major concern for coin producers around the world.