Archive: People and Markets

The Zurich International Coin Fair 2023

For many decades, the coin fair in Zurich has been the most important meeting point for the Swiss numismatic scene. In 2023, it was particularly crowded, as Swissmint had planned a special sale that drew many interested people.

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A reconstruction of what the gold necklace probably looked like. Illustration made by archaeologist Thea Eli Gil Bell. © Theo Eli Gil Bell, The Museum of Archaeology, University of Stavanger.

Baldrs Horse: Detectorist Makes “Find of the Century” in Norway

On the Norwegian island of Rennesøy, a metal detectorist recently made an extraordinary gold find that was buried long before the Viking Age. The nine coin-like gold pendants engraved with rare horse symbols discovered along with ten gold beads and three gold rings are the first find of this kind in Norway since the 19th century.

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Image: Croatian Mint.

Black Lizard: The Second Issue of the Autochthonous Croatia Series

If you want to witness how Darwin’s natural selection works, there is no need to travel to the Galápagos Islands. The lizards on Croatian islands are just as diverse as Galápagos tortoises. The Croatian Mint has dedicated its latest issue of the Autochthonous Croatia series to a very special lizard species.

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Joachim Stollhoff (18.7.1948-2.11.2024)

Claire Franklin-Werz also wrote an extensive obituary for her long-time friend and mentor Joachim Stollhoff.

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Archive: Coins, Medals and more

20 Franken 1883: Die erste Goldmünze der Schweiz. Aus Auktion Künker eLive 54-2019-855. CoCo CH-1883-0001.

The Vreneli – A Swiss Icon

With its latest commemorative coin, Swissmint honours the last issue of the 10-franc vreneli minted 100 years ago. A prime opportunity to recall the history of this iconic Swiss gold coin.
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.
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