Estimate: 2.000.000 CHFTHE FIRST 100 ESCUDOS EVER STRUCK.
Spain.
Philip III,
100 Escudos 1609,
Segovia.
Unique.314
Estimate: 100.000 CHFTHE FINEST PORTRAIT OF CLEOPATRA.
Roman Republic.
Cleopatra VII and Mark Antony,
Tetradrachm 36 BC,
Antioch on the Orontes.152
Estimate: 300.000 CHFRoman Empire.
Augustus,
Aureus circa 27 BC-15 CE,
Pergamon (?).153
Estimate: 500.000 CHFMexico.
Philip V,
8 Escudos 1729/7,
Mexico.
NGC MS65 (Top pop).300
Estimate: 500.000 CHFTHE FIRST GOLD SOVEREIGN IN HISTORY.
Great Britain.
Henry VII,
Gold Sovereign,
type I, Cross Fitchee, n. d. (1492),
Tower mint.231
Estimate: 100.000 CHFIslamic World.
Temp. 'Abd al-Malik b. Marwan,
Solidus
AH 72-74.184
Estimate: 70.000 CHFItaly, Ferrara.
Alfonso I d'Este,
2 Ducats n. d.,
Ferrara.289
Estimate: 200.000 CHFTauric Chersonese.
Pantikapaion,
Gold Stater
circa 380-370 BC.72
Estimate: 3.000 CHFSarawak.
Charles Anthony Johnson Brooke,
50 Cents 1906,
Birmingham (Heaton).
NGC SP66 (Highest grade).1166
Estimate: 1.000 CHFUSA.
50 Cents 1795,
Philadelphia.1420

Archive: People and Markets

200 Years of the Bohemian Savings Bank: A Piece of Monetary History in Coin Form

In 2025, the Czech National Bank will issue a silver commemorative coin with a nominal value of 200 koruna. The coin marks the founding of the Bohemian Savings Bank.

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Between Tradition and the Demands of a New Economic World

The 32nd Mint Directors Conference took place in Cape Town from April 27th to 29th, 2025. It was the highlight of my numismatic journey through South Africa. In an international context, South Africa presented itself as a promising country of (numismatic) opportunities.

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German Coins in 2026: Two New Series and a Familiar Face

The Federal Ministry of Finance has published the coin programme for 2026. Collectors can look forward to a total of twelve coin issues covering a wide thematic spectrum.

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The “Red Book” and Its Two Fathers

Kenneth Bressett’s memoir “A Penny Saved” celebrates the life of Bressett’s mentor, hobby legend Richard S. Yeo and author of the “Red Book”. Joel J. Orosz explains what numismatics owes both of them.

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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.
A postcard of the 1906 Olympic Games. In front: Gilded silver medal for a winner of the 1906 Olympic Games. From Künker auction 408 (18-19 May 2024), No. 122.

The Olympic Games That Are No Longer Recognized

In 1906, the IOC and the country of Greece invited athletes from all over the world to the Olympic Games in Athens. The Games had a lasting impact on the ceremonies surrounding the sporting showdown, even though the IOC no longer recognizes these Olympics today. A winner’s medal from the Games will be auctioned by Künker on 18 June 2024.
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