A Life’s Work of Royal Glory, Immortalized on Metal and Paper

Auction house Künker offers in its upcoming eLive Auction 58 precious and useful pieces of numismatic literature. The offer includes two editions of the most important work on the medals of the Sun King.

A Numismatic Relic from the Piedmont Civil War

On November 28, 2012, a very special coin goes on the market at Numismatica Genevensis. The coin in question, estimated at 150,000 francs, is a gold coin in the value of 10 écus whose front depicts the young Prince Charles-Emanuel II of Savoy as well as the stern face of his mother. The following will provide you with a bit more detail as to the background of this rare specimen.

The Casa Savoia – A Noble Family between Italy, France, and Switzerland Part 2

Auction house Gadoury will auction off an extensive collection Casa Savoia originating from the possessions of a gentleman of the royal family. In the second article of the three-part series you will learn more about how the counts of Savoy became kings – and then lost all of their power again.

The Rue Mouffetard treasure

Every day, thousands of tourists stroll about the Rue Mouffetard, the “food alley” of Paris. Amongst aromatic cheese and huge sides of beef very few are aware that that one of the most spectacular coin treasures of the 18th century was found in house no. 51-53…

Human faces, part 43: The thrifty Sun King

Frugality is probably the last thing you would associate with Louis XIV. Versailles is not the only manifestation of the more than lavish lifestyle that he was so popular for. Still, this episode shows a very different side of the monarch.

Human faces, part 45: The birth of liberty

Why was the human head the motif on coins for centuries, no, for millennia? And why did that change in the last 200 years? Today we will talk about the aftermath of the French Revolution and the beginning of a reign of terror …

Human faces, part 44: Flight to Varennes

Why was the human head the motif on coins for centuries, no, for millennia? And why did that change in the last 200 years? In this episode, Louis XVI tries to escape his death in vain.

Human faces, part 37: Francis I, “Traitor of Christendom”

Why was the human head the motif on coins for centuries, no, for millennia? And why did that change in the last 200 years? In this episode, King Francis I makes a politically necessary decision, which earns him the title “Traitor of Christendom”.