Archive: People and Markets

How the Romans Made Counterfeits

Counterfeits have been around in ancient Roman times, too – usually, they were cast from a copper-tin alloy. Researchers at the University of Tübingen examined the counterfeiting process and reconstructed it experimentally. A video documents their experiment.

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Switzerland is “Guest of Honor” at the World Money Fair 2025

Next year, Switzerland will be the guest country at the World Money Fair. The Federal Mint Swissmint has a very special highlight in store for the fair: it will be presenting the 100-franc Gold Vreneli anniversary coin to the world for the first time.

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Hustle and Bustle at one of the two ballrooms: The New York Numismatic International Convention is known for stylish and elegant venues. Photo: Sebastian Wieschowski-

Classical Numismatics Gets Off to a Great Start to 2024 in New York

The 52nd New York International Numismatic Convention was held from 12 to 14 January at the InterContinental New York Barclay Hotel. All the “sold” signs on the dealers’ tables clearly show that classical numismatics is still in high demand.

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Even 2,500 years ago, the story of Pegasus fascinated people so much that they depicted him on coins. Background: Dorota Kudyba via Pixabay.

Pobjoy’s Pegasus is Back With Charles III

The celebrated motif of Pegasus reappears in its 6th edition for Pobjoy’s reverse frosted silver coin. The new edition carries an effigy of His Majesty King Charles III produced exclusively by Pobjoy Mint.

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Archive: Coins, Medals and more

A map of the Duchy of Jülich-Berg by Willem and Joan Blaeu, 1645 and the reverse of the newly discovered denomination of a 6 Albus light of 1640.

A Discovery From Jülich-Berg

New coin varieties are not so uncommon, but a new denomination really is. Joachim Stollhoff has found a 6 Albus light of the Duchy of Jülich-Berg minted in 1640. The coin will be offered in the forthcoming auction of Münzen & Medaillen GmbH.
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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