Archive: People and Markets

The British Museum suffered what was probably the largest theft in its history and a scandal that shook the institution to its core. Photo: hurk / Pixabay.

Red Alert at the British Museum

Thousands of objects have disappeared from the British Museum – allegedly stolen by a senior curator. The matter was uncovered by an antiquities dealer, whose warnings fell on deaf ears. The museum’s director has stepped down, and this seems to be merely the tip of the iceberg.

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Die Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe (in der Mitte) ist das höchste Gebäude in Harare. Foto: Baynham Goredema aus Johannesburg, Südafrika / CC BY 2.0

Zimbabwe’s New Currency: Is the ZiG Doomed to Fail From the Start?

Zimbabwe has introduced a new currency that is supposed to win the trust of Zimbabweans as it is backed by gold. Michael Alexander explains the background and presents the new banknotes.

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2026 soll die nächste Fußball-WM gemeinsam von den USA, Kanada und Mexiko ausgetragen werden. Hier eine der Dollar-Münzen, die auf die letzte WM in den USA 1994 herausgegeben wurden. Bild: US-Mint. Im Hintergrund das Giants-Stadion in New Jersey, einer der damaligen Austragungsorte. Foto: JazzyJoeyD / CC BY-SA 4.0.

NICAC Raises Concerns Over 2026 World Cup Commemorative Coins

The Numismatic Industry Coinage Advisory Committee (NICAC) released a report expressing concerns with legislation authorizing the minting of coins commemorating the 2026 FIFA World Cup. This gives us a fascinating insight into what happens behind the scenes when a coin is issued for a major sporting event.

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New CIT Issue: The Great Wall of China

No structure in China fires our imagination more than the 21,196-kilometer-long Great Wall of China. Using state-of-the-art minting technology, CIT has created a highly detailed tribute to the Wall with an ultra-high relief.

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Archive: Coins, Medals and more

Berlin and South Africa – A Time-Honoured Connection

Did you know that the first coins of the Boer Republic came from Berlin? It was quite a challenge to create the dies because the Berlin engraver Otto Schulz had no idea of Boer identity, which is why things almost went wrong…
Naval battle near Elseneur. Painting by Peter van de Velde. Coin: Netherlands / Holland and West Frisia. Pattern for the 1670 scheepjesschelling. Very rare. Very fine. Estimate: 200 euros. From Künker 414 (27/28 September), No. 4447.

Bloody Flag and Scheepjesschelling

On 27 and 28 September 2024, Künker will auction off part 2 of the Beuth Collection with Dutch coins in collaboration with Laurens Schulman. This important collection includes numerous rarities. But it also contains affordable coins with two-digit estimates that are just as fascinating as their unique and extremely rare counterparts, as we will prove in this article.
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