Archive: People and Markets

Lars Emil Bruun (1852–1923): From the Local Inn to an International Enterprise

The auction of the exceptional Bruun collection, 100 years after the collector’s death, has attracted a great deal of attention. But who was Bruun as a person? What inspired him? On behalf of Stack’s, Ursula Kampmann went in search of Bruun’s personality and compiled a short biography.

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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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Ulrich Werz 2014 in Cyprus. Photo: Claire Franklin.

Ulrich Werz (1964-2023)

The numismatist Ulrich Werz died on June 14, 2023. He was known for his work on coin finds and his studies on Roman countermarks. Claire Franklin remembers him.

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“Alexandria in Nummis”– Impressions from the Symposium in Lugano

On 20 and 21 September, the Circolo Numismatico Ticinese (CNT) held an international symposium in Lugano dedicated to the Roman Imperial Coinage of Alexandria. Fabrizio Rossini, CNT president, shares his impressions of the event.

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Archive: Coins, Medals and more

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.

Queen Anne: Great Britain on Its Way to Becoming a Global Power

On 26 May 2025, SINCONA will auction off part 6 of the British Collection presenting the medals of this ensemble. In this article, we will show you some of the treasures among the lots and explore the story of Queen Anne. Under her rule, Great Britain became the most important trading power in Europe.
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