Archive: People and Markets

Bowing to a Croatian Basketball Legend

In 1993, Dražen Petrović, one of the world’s most famous basketball players, died aged only 29 years. With his ambition, hard work, reliability, and modesty, the “Mozart of Basketball” continues to inspire many of his fans to this day.

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Vatican Plans a Comeback: New Online Shop Launches in July

This move has nothing to do with the inauguration of Pope Leo XIV but has been in preparation for months: Starting in July 2025, the Vatican will resume sales of its philatelic and numismatic products.

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Major State Exhibition at Two Museums in Trier: Marcus Aurelius

The state exhibition on Marcus Aurelius marks the opening of another world-class exhibition on ancient Rome in Trier. Who was the man whose Meditations became world literature? And what actually makes a “good ruler”, a quality which Marcus Aurelius is often said to embody?

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Osaka hosts Expo 2025 and Japan honors this event with the issuing of commemorative coins. Photo: Japan Mint. Background: Luca Florio / CC BY-SA 2.0.

Osaka 2025 World Expo Commemorated with Silver Coin

For Expo2025 Japan plans to issue five different coins. For one of these the Ministry of Finance has released the Design of a 1,000-Yen silver coin.

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Archive: Coins, Medals and more

The National Identity of Modern Ukraine on its Commemorative Coins

Due to tragic circumstances, all eyes are currently on Ukraine. Today, we’ll be discussing the national identity of the Ukrainian people. Using Ukraine’s commemorative coins, we’ll be looking at how the country sees itself, or rather, how it wants to be seen.
Railway tunnel under Surami pass near the village Tsipa, Chkherimela valley, Georgia 2014. Image: Karel61 via Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 4.0. In front: Silver medal commemorating the opening of the Suram Tunnel in 1890 by L. Steinman. Künker auction 408, No. 234.

For Railroad Fans: The Suram Tunnel

Railroad history is linked to numismatics in many ways. Fascinating large-scale projects were often celebrated with medals and commemorative coins. Our example takes us to Georgia: A medal that will be offered for auction by Künker commemorates the opening of the Suram Tunnel.
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