Reformation jubilees – a journey through the centuries

Künker will auction a major collection of coins and medals related to the Reformation on September 27, 2017. Using this material, this article shows the extent to which politics of the past centuries used Luther and the Reformation jubilee for their own purposes.

Making the Case for the Gold Standard: The Coins of Josef Wild

By means of hyperinflation, the German government transferred the cost of World War I onto its citizens. Josef Wild, a simple goldsmith from Nuremberg, tried to do something about it. He died in prison as a counterfeiter of coins.

Gold for Portugal

Portugaleser, that is how the magnificent large gold coins are called that were produced in Hamburg. But what do they have to do with Portugal? The answer lies in the route the African gold has taken in the Early Modern Times…

Gold rush in California: part III

Countless stories tell of the Californian gold rush which brought thousands of men to America, the Promised Land. But the gold made only very few rich. The majority died as a result of the exertion during the travel, the hard work and the disappointment when they returned back home, poorer than they had come. Their story should be told here.

Human faces, part 35: A girl gets herself a husband

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, we will witness how a confident Isabella of Castile takes her rightful place on the throne next to her husband.

How Malta Came under the British Flag

On March 12, 2015, the auction house Künker auctions off an unusually rare testimony of the Maltese history. The small silver ingot in the weight of 30 tari from 1800 is the last currency produced on Malta.

Human faces, part 46: “When you call, my Fatherland”

Why was the human head the motif on coins for centuries, no, for millennia? And why did that change in the last 200 years? Get to know more about the story of Helvetia, the personification of Switzerland, in this episode.

Human faces, part 36: Charles V – Territories as far as the eye can see

For centuries, no, for millennia, human faces were the most popular choice for the decoration of a coin obverse. That the coin’s reverse can be just as fascinating will be shown in this episode of our series.

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”.

Human faces, part 47: The frivolous Vreneli

Why was the human head the motif on coins for centuries, no, for millennia? Discussions about the precise nature of these heads could be highly entertaining as the example of the Swiss Vreneli demonstrates.