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Caught Between all Stools: Simon V of Lippe

From 22 to 26 June 2020, the Summer Auction Sales 337-338 take place in Osnabrück. In this article, we will introduce you to one of the pieces from the upcoming auctions: a guldengroschen of 1528, minted on behalf of Simon V of Lippe, who had just become count.

Johann Adolf of Schleswig-Holstein-Gottorf and His Portugalesers

Originally, later-born son Johann Adolf was supposed to become Bishop of Bremen and Lübeck, but when his two brothers died, he had to fight for the Duchy of Schleswig-Holstein. Minting portugalesers was part of the diplomatic game. Künker will offer three of these rare portugalesers in their upcoming auction.

The Origins of the Roman Empire. A New Era Begins

“We continue to live in the good old days of the Republic.” This is what Augustus wanted to convey to his contemporaries after the bloody civil war. But his completely new and high-quality coins speak an entirely different language, as Florian Haymann points out.

The Origin of the Bavarian Beer Purity Law

A regulation of the Bavarian dukes William IV and his brother Louis X is still quoted frequently today: the “Reinheitsgebot” – the beer purity law of 1516. We tell its story with the help of coins from the Special Collection Bavaria, which will be on sale on 18 March 2020 at Künker.

Holy Citizens

On 18 March 2020, Künker’s auction No. 335 offers a special collection of medieval coins containing about 150 splendid bracteates. These Romanesque works of art take us back to a time when saints were regarded as fellow citizens willing to engage actively for the well-being of the community.

Vienna’s Salvator Medals

Among the wealth of interesting objects from the Holy Roman Empire offered by auction house Künker in this year’s Berlin Auction, you can find a small series of so-called Salvator medals. Even though they are called medals, they actually should be classified as coins.

Napoleon’s Eternal Glory

There are very few power seekers of the past that are admired in today’s world as much as Napoleon. One of the reasons for this is his way of self-portrayal. We tell the story of one of his medals. It belonged to Napoleon himself and will be offered in Künker’s Berlin sale.

Why the Middle Ages Were so Warlike

Künker’s Berlin Auction Sale 2020 offers an extremely rare chaise d’or of William III of Jülich struck between 1393 and 1402. It portrays the duke as a wise ruler. In fact, William was anything but that: When he came to power at the age of 13, he turned into somebody we would call a teenage bully nowadays.