Entries by Ursula Kampmann

Creator of the Paduans: Giovanni da Cavino

Giovanni da Cavino was an exceptionally gifted artist and an honoured businessman when he imitated the first Roman coins. As ‘Paduans’, they were destined to achieve world fame later on. He provided the high society with what it looked for and earned good money with it. In those days, nobody would have dreamt co call him a forger…

The Year of the Freigeld in Wörgl

Who knows Wörgl nowadays? Yet for a short period of time the entire world looked at this small town. In 1932/3, one of the most successful …

The house of Hohenems and his bishops

The masters of Hohenems owed their rise to become the most important noble family in Vorarlberg to their loyalty to the House of Habsburg. Two family members …

The House of Hohenems and its bishops

2. Wolf Dietrich of Raitenau
In 1558, Helena, the sister of Cardinal and Bishop of Constance Marcus Sitticus of Hohenems, married Hans Werner III of Raitenau. On March 26th, 1559, at the Hofen Castle near Bregenz, she presented …

What is left of the man who invented the taler

The city of Hall is always worth a visit, not only because of its interesting museum on minting technology in the mint tower. Near the parish church, too, a numismatic treasure can be found…

The bone – or rather stone – of contention

There are two nations who both raise a claim to the Prince’s Stone as part of their cultural heritage: Slovenia and Carinthia. This story is a splendid topic for debate that has also manifested itself in numismatics.

A donative of Constantine the Great

This impressive piece belongs to a small series of silver medallions celebrating the vicennalia of Constantine II, the eldest surviving son of Constantine the Great, in 336.

The Delian League and the Athenian Money

In 479 BC the Greeks defeated the Persians at Plataiai. At that time nobody dared to hope that the fight was so soon to end. On the contrary, every Greek city was afraid of the Persian king, who had vast resources at his disposal. He was feared to raise another army in order to conquer the whole of Greece. Something had to be done to prevent that.