Empire

On 7 October 2019, auction house Künker will be auctioning a necklace and bracelet made from ancient coins, said to have been commissioned by the great general Napoleon Bonaparte for his younger sister Pauline. That would make sense: In Napoleon’s time, people loved anything that was reminiscent of antiquity.

Counterfeited coins, or not counterfeited coins, that is the question

On 10 October 2019, a 6 pence piece will be sold at auction house Künker in Osnabrück that is of great interest from the point of view of constitutional law. The reason is that at the time of its minting it was not decided yet whether only the Crown was entitled to produce money in the United Kingdom or not.

The Monetary History of the USA. Part 2: Between Silver and Gold

In the second part of our series on the monetary history of the United States of America, we deal with booming and struggling national economies and the question of whether US citizens should pay in silver or gold currencies.

The Monetary History of the USA. Part 1: Times of War

The birth of the United States of America was anything but peaceful. Two major wars were necessary so that the nation as we know it today could emerge: the Mexican-American War and the American Civil War.

Medieval Sicily Part 9: The Golden Age of Sicily Begins

Robert Guiscard left behind two adult sons. The younger took the Crucifix, the older, Robert Borsa, the dominion over his father’s kingdom. In Sicily, the situation was convenient: Robert did not have to bother with princes.

Career goal: Saint – Bernward of Hildesheim

There are only a few bishops of the Middle Ages who minted coins whom we know as much about as Bernward of Hildesheim. There is a reason for this. The churchman, from one of Saxony’s best families, intended to be worshipped as a saint after his death.

Venice, the Doges and the House of Mocenigo

The cover coin of the Künker catalog for auction 324 is a Venetian off-metal strike in gold weighing 12 zecchini of doge Alvise IV Mocenigo. He was the seventh and last doge of the Mocenigo family. Through the extensive Venice collection, which will be auctioned at Künker in June 2019, we will recount why the Mocenigo family produced so many doges.

What is a Swede doing in Poland?

On June 26, 2019, an extensive collection of Polish rarities will be auctioned at the Künker auction 323. Among them are coins of Sigismund III, who was King of Sweden and Poland simultaneously. We recount how a Swedish prince came to rule over the Poles.

A long bridge for the benefit of all

On 27 September, 2012, the mayor of Berlin inaugurated the new Rathaus Bridge. It is already the sixth bridge in this historic location. An extremely rare gold medal commemorates the first stone bridge that was erected at the same place. On 27 June, 2019, the item is auctioned off at Künker in Osnabrück.

Unknown Ducat from Mantua at Sincona

Time and again, auctions bring items on the market that until then have been unknown in the field. Thus, a previously unknown Ducato d’oro of Francesco IV Gonzaga is found in the auction catalog of Sincona Auction 54, which will be held on 20 May, 2019.