Human faces, part 48: Simón Bolívar, South America’s heroic freedom fighter
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: Why Bolivia is called Bolivia.
Between East and West or: the first Western coins of China
The first Chinese coins imitating western models were struck on the island of Formosa, modern-day Taiwan, nearly 200 years before. This article will tell the story, how it came about…
The Order of the Golden Fleece
Countless coins from the Holy Roman Empire show something many catalogs briefly address as “neck chain” of the Order of the Golden Fleece. This article will explain, when and where this chivalric order originated and why it became the most important order of knights all over the Old World…
Christians fight against Christians with the assistance of the Turks
It is an unspectacular coin, that testimony of the culminating conflict between France and Spain, between Francis I and Charles V. …
From Pavia to the Sack of Rome – siege coins in Italy
Why was it that Renaissance rulers went to Italy to seek good fortune? Why was it that thousands of ducats and thaler were spent on mercenary soldiers? This article gives an insight into the war between Francis I of France and Charles V of Italy…
Coin Grading Made Easy
A lot of coin collectors are insecure when it comes to judging the condition of a coin. This article offers an introduction to this high art…
Gradings made in the USA
“Slabs“, that is how Americans call the small plastic boxes where coins are welded in, against a fee, after a procedure called grading. What is behind that? What advantages has that system? What problems?
Lake Baikal gold treasure
“Glorious Sea, the Sacred Baikal”, that is how the “Baikal hymn” written by Dimitrij Davydov starts. The lake is affectionately referred to as “Pearl of Siberia” since it is the world’s biggest freshwater reservoir. Lake Baikal is…
Peter the Great as his nation’s barber
During the cultural revolution Peter the Great brought Russia, not only institutions were put in the crosshairs but the country’s population as well. The beard had to go – literally speaking…
Splendor of a dynasty – the five family roubles of Tsar Nicholas I (1825-1855)
King Louis’ I “historic thaler” made impression in Russia and left it’s marks. Tsar Nicholas I struck similar coins with his family on the reverse. How this happened and why there are five different types you can read here…
