Archive: People and Markets

Metcalf Lecturer 2023/4: Benjamin Hellings

The Archaeological Institute of America named Benjamin Hellings this year’s Metcalf Lecturer. He is Curator of Numismatics at the Yale University Art Gallery and Chair of the AIA Numismatics Interest Group.

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A Greek gold necklace with horned lion heads on each end. No, this object has not disappeared, but it is listed by the British Museum as „similar to those that are missing.“ Photo: Trustees of the British Museum

Can the British Museum Recover Their Lost Items?

Around 2,000 un-inventoried objects from the Greek-Roman collection of the British Museum were stolen. The museum recently announced the deployment of a task force and recovery program, but will these measures be enough to see the return of the lost objects?

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The Fascinating World of Insects and Minting Errors: The Misaligned Stag Beetle

A year ago, the paint on coins from the “Fascinating World of Insects” series began to flake off. Now, new anomalies have surfaced—ones that experts find only partially explainable.

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The exhibition “The Other Side of the Coin” will be on view until July 23, 2023.

50 Years of Alpha Bank Numismatic Collection: “The Other Side of the Coin”

50 years ago the Alpha Bank Numismatic Collection was created. Now, an anniversary exhibition in Athens presents 150 coins from the collection illustrating “The Other Side of the Coin”: coins as means of communication and objects of art.

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Archive: Coins, Medals and more

From Taler to Mark: The Long Road to a Common Currency

As Germany gradually evolved into a nation-state in the 19th century, the many currencies that circulated in its territories were also unified step by step. Coins from the Duchy of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha in Künker’s auction 388 illustrate the long path from the taler to the mark.
Christian IV. 4 Speciedaler 1624, Kopenhagen. From Auction Künker 408 (18.-19. June 2024), No. 14. Background: Christian IV of Denmark and Norway. Bust at Rosenborg Castle / Copenhagen. Photo: UK.

400 Years Ago – The Founding of Kongsberg

On 2 May 1624, Christian IV of Denmark and Norway founded the mining town of Kongsberg. A series of coins to be offered in the upcoming Künker sale tells us of the hopes that the ruler placed in the silver from these mines.
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