Archive: People and Markets

The British Museum first opened its doors in 1759. Over 250 year later there are still hundreds of thousands of objects not properly documented. Image: Ham via Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 3.0.

British Museum Sets Out Plans to Digitize Fully the Collection

After the disappearance of thousands of objects, the British Museum aims to document all of their over 2 million objects within the next five years and make them available online. Mark Jones on why he wants to increase access to the objects now.

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Ursula Kampmann at the International Conference on Islamic Numismatics.

International Conference on Islamic Numismatics

From 18 to 20 May 2023, the ICIN – the International Conference on Islamic Numismatics – took place in Riyadh, Saudi-Arabia. A complete success! Never before have so many specialists on Islamic numismatics gathered in one place. Ursula Kampmann was there.

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The Coronation-themed exhibition features a range of unique objects as well as hands-on interactives.

How the Royal Mint Celebrated the Coronation of King Charles III

During the Coronation Day of King Charles III the Royal Mint Experience opened a special exhibition for 24 hours. Special events and activities marked that date and visitors could strike a particular coin.

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Berta von Suttner, Astrid Lindgren, Marie Curie – three women that changed the world will be honoured with 20-euro commemorative coins from Germany in the coming years. Collage: Canva.

Outstanding Women in Silver and a Break for 5-Euro Coins: Germany’s 2025 Commemorative Coin Programme

Germany’s 2025 coin programme comprises eleven issues, combining subjects of historical importance with current socio-political topics.

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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.

Pattern of the First-Class Warrior Medal – A Previously Unknown Relic of German Colonial History

Leu’s first World Coins Floor Sale features a previously unknown pattern of a warrior merit medal for indigenous soldiers in German East Africa. This exceptional item provides rare insight into the early development of this obscure decoration.
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