Parade of the “Lange Kerls” (Long Guys)
They were his special hobby, the “Lange Kerls” (Long Guys), Frederick William I of Prussia tested his military innovations on. He even had a medal dedicated to them.
The Melle Mines
When the Arabs went out in the 7th century to conquer a vast empire with their new faith, the world changed not only religiously and politically but also …
A King at a pinch – the stolen coin collection of Victor Emmanuel III of Italy
A King dealing in coins – that sounds preposterous? Well, in 1944 the satirical magazine “Nebelspalter” published a caricature of the same tenor which was understood throughout Europe. Victor Emmanuel’s passion for coins was proverbial. He is said to have collected 120,000 pieces as the foundation of the most important publication of Italian coinage, the CNI, whose first volume was published exactly 100 years ago…
The mints of San Francisco Part 1: The Old Mint
Join us on our trip to the “Old Mint” of San Francisco. Old and new photos give an insight into the minting as it was done in The Granite Lady.
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.
A coin is being made – the Swiss commemorative coins celebrating the opening of the Gotthard Base Tunnel
It takes much effort and planning until a collector can purchase his commemorative coin that will serve as a memento of an event which – like the opening of the Gotthard Base Tunnel – will become part of the national myth.
Human faces, part 38: Henry VIII and the second of his six wives
That Henry VIII had an entire collection of wives in his lifetime is not news. But can you remember all of them? In this episode of “Human faces”, we will tell the story of his second wife, Anne Boleyn.
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 39: The price of power
Possessing colonies with vast resources of silver, Spanish king Philip II could have helped his kingdom to enormous economic prosperity. But even the largest treasure of silver could not realise Philip’s power-hungry fantasy of proselytizing half of Europe.
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.
