Entries by Ursula Kampmann

A King at a pinch – the stolen coin collection of Victor Emmanuel III of Italy

A King dealing in coins – that sounds preposterous? Well, in 1944 the satirical magazine “Nebelspalter” published a caricature of the same tenor which was understood throughout Europe. Victor Emmanuel’s passion for coins was proverbial. He is said to have collected 120,000 pieces as the foundation of the most important publication of Italian coinage, the CNI, whose first volume was published exactly 100 years ago…

Great is Artemis of the Ephesians

On his visit to Ephesus, St. Paul was in imminent danger to be lynched. Why was it that the Ephesians felt so threatened by this herald of a new god? Were they more pious than other Greeks? They were, in a way, since they lived on their religion…

Poets and their income: Walther von der Vogelweide

Beyond price – no, great art has never been beyond price. Quite the opposite actually, as it had a clearly defined price. We will see just how high that price was, looking at the most famous German minstrel – Walther von der Vogelweide.

The Irish harp

Every coin of Ireland, from 1 cent to 2 euros, features a harp. We ask why the harp plays such an important role in Irish identification.

Human Faces Part 4: Philip II as Hegemon of Greece

Why is it that for centuries – or rather thousands of years – the head has served as the motif for the side of a coin? And why has this changed in the last 200 years? Ursula Kampmann poses these questions in her book ‘MenschenGesichter,’ from which the texts for our new series are taken.

Human Faces Part 2: Athena and Athens

Why is it that for centuries – or rather thousands of years – the head has served as the motif for the side of a coin? And why has this changed in the last 200 years? Ursula Kampmann poses these questions in her book ‘MenschenGesichter,’ from which the texts for our new series are taken.

Ainos – A Commercial Center in Thrace

Ainos, today called Enez and located on the border of the Aegean Sea in the European part of Turkey, didn’t have any important resources. As far as we know, there also didn’t exist any remarkable industry. Ainos reached incredible wealth during the 5th century B.C. despite these facts.

Munich, the German Mecca for Coin Collectors

No other city in Germany offers such an accumulation of well-known coin auction houses in a relatively confined space as Munich does. On and around the Maximiliansplatz such important companies are located as…

Meyer Amschel Rothschild, court factor and coin dealer

Meyer Amschel Rothschild worked his way out of the Frankfurt Jewish ghetto and all the way up to court factor in the 18th century. He specialised in coin- and antiquities dealing before becoming the founder of a famous dynasty of bankers.