Archive: People and Markets

The South African Mint: Africa’s Largest Mint

At the end of my trip to South Africa, I have the unique opportunity to visit the South African Mint. I’m taking you along on my visit, and that’s something very special: normally, taking photos inside the South African Mint isn’t permitted!

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A fresh start for the British Museum? Maybe with numismatist Mark Jones heading the museum as interim director. Photo museum: UK. Photo Sir Mark Jones: © National Trust for Scotland.

A Numismatist at the Head of the British Museum?

Following the resignation of the British Museum’s director and his deputy, the board of trustees has already filled one position on an interim basis. Surprisingly, the numismatist Sir Mark Jones has been proposed as interim director.

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£50,000 Reward for Clues on Stolen Scottish Coin Collection

Until today, the 2007 theft of the Lord Stewartby Collection, one of the finest private collections of Scottish coins, remains unsolved. Crimestoppers and the Hunterian Museum in Glasgow are now offering up to £50,000 for information leading to the conviction of those involved.

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Bernt Ahlström circa 1980. Photo: Family Archive.

Bernt Ahlström (1936-2019)

You will hardly find a dealer in the numismatic world who is completely unfamiliar with the name Bernt Ahlstrom. On the occasion of the sale of his numismatic library at Gut-Lynt, Arne Kirsch recounts the eventful life of the coin dealer and bon vivant.

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Archive: Coins, Medals and more

Joachimsthal and the Reformation

On 29 January 2025, Künker will auction a series of valuable Renaissance medals. They feature biblical topics and were minted in the region of Joachimsthal to spread the teachings of the Reformation. Johannes Mathesius, the author of Luther’s Table Talk, may have been at the origin of some of the motifs.
Contemporary allegory on the Great Elector Frederick William of Brandenburg.

The Great Elector, Taxes and the Rise of Prussia

On 1 February 2024, the Künker auction house will hold its 400th auction sale. Among the 770 lots are very rare issues from the reign of Frederick William of Brandenburg-Prussia. They bear witness to the achievements of the Great Elector, who brought prosperity to a realm devastated by the Thirty Years’ War.
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