Archive: People and Markets

The representative of Guinness World Records hands over the certificate for the world’s smallest coin to Robert Blaic, CEO of the Croatian Mint. Photo: Croatian Mint.

The World’s Smallest Coin

Now it is official: Croatia’s 1-kuna coin dedicated to the town of Hum holds the Guinness World Record as the world’s smallest coin!

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Al was mentor to many young people in numismatics. Image provided by Stephen Album Rare Coins.

Dr. Albert J. Beck (1935-2024)

Dr. Albert (“Al”) J. Beck passed on Wednesday, June 12, 2024. Our friends from Stephen Album Rare Coins shared this obituary for their colleague with us.

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The tallest building in Paris is one of the most visited landmarks in the world, with around seven million visitors per year.

CIT’s Historical Monuments – The Eiffel Tower

Just in time for the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris, CIT presents an artistic monument in the form of a coin dedicated to the city’s iconic landmark. Eiffel Tower is a numismatic miniature sculpture.

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These images depicting alleged banknotes were published on X by the "Government of East Africa" account. They are fakes. Source: "Government of East Africa" via X.

When Is a Currency Launch – Not a Currency Launch?

Nowadays, it is frighteningly easy to send misinformation around the world in a matter of seconds. Michael Alexander from the London Banknote and Monetary Research Centre uses a recent example to show that important subjects such as currency unions, or even money in general, can also be affected by this.

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Archive: Coins, Medals and more

Horace Vernet, Barrikadenkampf in der Rue Soufflot, Paris, 25. Juni 1848 (Juniaufstand).

French History in Coins – Part 2: From the Second Republic to the Second Empire

In the 19th century, people in France suffered from hunger and poverty. There were uprisings and a revolution. But the first president of the new republic was a nephew of Napoleon and completely took after the old emperor.
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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