Archive: People and Markets

Die Basilika von Aquileia gehört zum UNESCO Weltkulturerbe Foto: KW

Aquileia: A Centre of the Late Roman Empire

Under the Tetrarchs, Rome lost its position as the main residence of the emperor. Other sites with a more favourable strategic location took over this role. One of them was Aquileia. Those who visit the city today will find traces of Roman civilisation everywhere. Join Ursula Kampmann on her numismatic discovery tour!

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Between Tradition and the Demands of a New Economic World

The 32nd Mint Directors Conference took place in Cape Town from April 27th to 29th, 2025. It was the highlight of my numismatic journey through South Africa. In an international context, South Africa presented itself as a promising country of (numismatic) opportunities.

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Goldbeater. Frontispiece from a register of creditors of a Bolognese lending society. Illuminated by Nicolò di Giacomo di Nascimbene, called Nicolò da Bologna Italy, Bologna, ca. 1394–95. The Morgan Library & Museum, MS M.1056, fol. 1v detail. Photography by Janny Chiu.

Medieval Money, Merchants, and Morality

The new exhibition in the Morgan Library & Museum examines the economic revolution in medieval Europe and charts the expanding role and perception of money during that period. The medieval manuscripts shown in the exhibition are truly stunning!

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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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Archive: Coins, Medals and more

A Medal Made by Dürer as the Official Gift of the City of Nuremberg for Charles V

On 29 January 2025, auction house Künker will be auctioning an object of major art-historical importance in Berlin: the very Albrecht Dürer himself had been commissioned by the Nuremberg City Council to create the dies for medals that were to be officially handed to Charles V during his entry into the city in 1521.
A postcard of the 1906 Olympic Games. In front: Gilded silver medal for a winner of the 1906 Olympic Games. From Künker auction 408 (18-19 May 2024), No. 122.

The Olympic Games That Are No Longer Recognized

In 1906, the IOC and the country of Greece invited athletes from all over the world to the Olympic Games in Athens. The Games had a lasting impact on the ceremonies surrounding the sporting showdown, even though the IOC no longer recognizes these Olympics today. A winner’s medal from the Games will be auctioned by Künker on 18 June 2024.
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