Archive: People and Markets

Railway to the gate of Auschwitz.

New Coin From Slovakia: 80th Anniversary of the Vrba-Wetzler Report

In the summer of 1944, the world became aware of the Holocaust thanks to two young Slovaks: Rudolf Vrba and Alfréd Wetzler. The National Bank of Slovakia honors them with €10 collector coin, produced by the Kremnica Mint. The coin represents many things – bravery, moral courage, responsibility and the power of public opinion.

Read more
Learn more about the various aspects of money at the St. Louis Fed Economy Museum. Photo: Federal Reserve Bank St. Louis.

The Economy Museum St. Louis Fed

Learn about the economy and currency in a fun and interactive way. Compete to make the most money in a simulated trading pit game. The Economy Museum at the St. Louis Fed offers over 100 games, exhibits, currency displays and videos. Read what expect you there.

Read more

Sir Winston Churchill at 150: Highlights From the J. Eric Engstrom Medal Collection

Last November, Winston Churchill would have turned 150 years old. To mark the occasion, the Heberden Coin Room at the Ashmolean is displaying pieces from their rich collection of medals related to Churchill, most of which come from the J. Eric Engstrom Collection of Churchill Medals.

Read more
Der Schießsport ist auch heutzutage in der Schweiz sehr beliebt. Foto: Andy Moser via Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 3.0.

Swissmint Celebrates 200 Years “Swiss Shooting Sports Federation”

In June, Swissmint has issued a new collector coin, “Swiss Shooting Sports Federation”. This is the start of the numismatic celebration that mark the 200th anniversary of the organization which will go on until 2024.

Read more

Archive: Coins, Medals and more

Franz Joseph und Sisi, gemalt von Franz Xaver Winterhalter. Davor Rückseite der Hochzeitsmedaille aus dem offiziellen Erinnerungs-Set, aus Auktion Künker 415 (28. Oktober 2024), Nr. 361.

Sisi and Franz: Commemorating the Dream Wedding that Was Actually a Nightmare

As part of the phaleristic auction 415 on 28 October 2024, Künker will be auctioning the set of gold medals that Emperor Franz Joseph presented to his father-in-law, Duke Maximilian Joseph in Bavaria. It is the numismatic souvenir of a wedding that turned out to be a nightmare for his daughter – young Elisabeth, who is better known as Sissi or Sisi today.
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.
Search Search