Archive: People and Markets

The British Museum: When Theft Becomes PR

Once again, the BM made negative headlines: Ilé Sartuzi stole a coin unnoticed during a hands-on tour and declared this an artistic performance. A commentary by Ursula Kampmann.

Coin Dealer Robbed: Why We Lose More Than Just Money When We Are Burgled

In 2024, an English coin dealer’s home was broken into and coins worth £500,000 were stolen. Two men have now been jailed for the crime. However, this does not make everything right for the coin dealer.

Die Basilika von Aquileia gehört zum UNESCO Weltkulturerbe Foto: KW

Aquileia: A Centre of the Late Roman Empire

Under the Tetrarchs, Rome lost its position as the main residence of the emperor. Other sites with a more favourable strategic location took over this role. One of them was Aquileia. Those who visit the city today will find traces of Roman civilisation everywhere. Join Ursula Kampmann on her numismatic discovery tour!

Coin Shop Looted in Michigan

The Numismatic Crime Information Center notifies the numismatic community about a burglary at a coin shop in South Eastern Michigan on 16 December.

Archive: Coins, Medals and more

As the King Lay Dying… – The Most Spectacular British Gold Coin of the Modern Era

In Part 4 of its extraordinary British Collection, SINCONA will be presenting several extremely rare patterns, some of which are the best-preserved specimens available on the market. In this article, we tell their 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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