Archive: People and Markets

Andrea Mayr, Die Medaillen und Schaumünzen der Kaiser und Könige aus dem Haus Habsburg im Münzkabinett des Kunsthistorischen Museums Wien. Band XI: Ferdinand I. (1793–1875, reg. 1835–1848) (Kunsthistorisches Museum Wien, Münzkabinett, Kataloge der Medaillensammlung, 3). Verlag der Österreichischen Akademie der Wissenschaften, Wien 2023. 2 Bände, 552 Seiten, farbige Abbildungen. Hardcover, 29,7x21cm. ISBN: 978-3-7001-9314-2. 175 Euro.

The Medals and Representative Coins of Emperor Ferdinand I

Andrea Mayr has presented another part of the collection of the Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna. In 2023, her two-volume work on the medals and representative coins of Ferdinand I was published. It is much more than a usual catalogue. Ursula Kampmann took a look at it.

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Die Archäologinnen Kristina Jansson und Anna Ödéen präsentieren den Münzfund. Foto: Åsa Rosén.

The Brahekyrkan Coin Hoard – A Sensational Find on Visingsö

Swedish archaeologists made a spectacular discovery on the island of Visingsö. They found 170 coins from the mid-12th century in a grave, posing a number of questions.

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Foto: RareCoin.Store.

Interview: Are Modern Collector Coins a Sensible Investment?

It is becoming increasingly popular to buy coins as a form of investment, but this can be risky if the buyer lacks the necessary expertise. We spoke to someone who really knows their stuff: Dirk Wasserthal, Managing Director of RareCoin.Store and expert in rarities of modern numismatics, tells us what to look out for.

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100-Euro Gold Coins: Loyal Customers of Münze Deutschland Make a Bargain

Buying gold below the market price? Under normal circumstances, that’s not possible – the only exception is placing an order with the German Mint before the gold price skyrockets. As in previous years, customers of the official sales office can look forward to a substantial return.

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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.

Münster, Osnabrück, Passau and the Counts of Lamberg

Münster, Osnabrück and Passau: How are these places related to the Counts of Lamberg? We use coins from Künker’s auction 424 to illustrate how noble families in the Holy Roman Empire climbed the social ladder in early modern times, and explain the reasons for and the consequences of such ascents.
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