Archive: People and Markets

New Museum Management in Monaco: A Year Full of Surprises for Euro Collectors?

At first glance, it is “only” a piece of news on a new museum director – but the change at the top of the “Musée des Timbres et des Monnaies de Monaco” could herald a new era in the coin issuance policy of the Principality, which could spark discussions among collectors.

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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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Coin of the Year: Surprising Picks and Standout Themes from the Oscars of Numismatics

Every year, collectors around the world eagerly await the nominations for the Coin of the Year (COTY) Award, which honors the most outstanding coin issues from across the globe.

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Die Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe (in der Mitte) ist das höchste Gebäude in Harare. Foto: Baynham Goredema aus Johannesburg, Südafrika / CC BY 2.0

Zimbabwe’s New Currency: Is the ZiG Doomed to Fail From the Start?

Zimbabwe has introduced a new currency that is supposed to win the trust of Zimbabweans as it is backed by gold. Michael Alexander explains the background and presents the new banknotes.

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Archive: Coins, Medals and more

Coloured Metal from Austria: Niobium Coins

In 2003, the Austrian Mint introduced a new metal with exciting characteristics to the world of coins: niobium. The beginning of a success story.
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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