Archive: People and Markets

United States Department of State, Washington. Image: AgnosticPreachersKid via Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 3.0.

Your Tax Dollars at Work

Is the State Department funding a crusade against private ownership of cultural goods in the U.S.? Peter Tompa explains how taxpayer money was used to justify cultural property Memorandums of Understanding (MOUs) or “emergency import restrictions.”

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Crowds of visitors at the Sberatel. Photo: BS.

Sberatel: The Place to Meet Czech Collectors

On 8 and 9 September 2023, the Sberatel took place in Prague. It calls itself the largest coin show in Central and Eastern Europe – and this is no exaggeration. Ursula Kampmann was there.

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Colouring on 2-euro coins – still an absolute exception today. Collage: Canva.

Are Things Becoming Too Colourful? France and Portugal Issue 2-Euro Colour Coins

After six years, two Eurozone countries make use of the opportunity to design commemorative 2-euro coins with a special effect. Until now, official 2-euro coins with colour have been an absolute exception – for they are not at all liked to be seen in Brussels.

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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.

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Archive: Coins, Medals and more

The Suffering of Leiden – A Siege During the Dutch Revolt

The third part of the Beuth Collection that Künker offers in Auction 420 contains many historically interesting emergency and siege coins. They were issued by the Dutch towns besieged by Spain during the 80 Years' War. One of these towns was Leiden, which to this day commemorates the end of the siege every year with a festival.

Münster, Osnabrück, Passau and the Counts of Lamberg

Münster, Osnabrück and Passau: How are these places related to the Counts of Lamberg? We use coins from Künker’s auction 424 to illustrate how noble families in the Holy Roman Empire climbed the social ladder in early modern times, and explain the reasons for and the consequences of such ascents.
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