The People of Zurich and their Money 6: Can You Put a Price on Salvation?

Our series takes you along for the ride as we explore the Zurich of times past. Around the year 1520, a woman from Zurich attempts to prevent her husband, a master craftsman, from buying an indulgence. Much like a good DVD, this conversation comes with a sort of ‘making of’ – a little numismatic-historical backdrop to help underscore and illustrate this conversation.

The People of Zurich and their Money 4: Robber Barons in Zurich?

Our series takes you along for the ride as we explore the Zurich of times past. The year 1371 saw the pinnacle of a crisis for the aristocracy, which was desperately fighting for its economic and political survival. Much like a good DVD, this conversation comes with a sort of ‘making of’ – a little numismatic-historical backdrop to help underscore and illustrate this conversation.

Expeditions into the realm of numismatics Part 1: The missing gold gulden or Basel as papal mint

In our series “Expeditions into the realm of numismatics”, we are taking you on an expedition to the treasures of the Basel Coin Cabinet. The first part revolves around a minting die for a papal gold gulden with the title of Felix V.

Erasmus of Rotterdam in Basel – part 2: The inheritance of Bonifacius Amerbach

You can still have a look at Erasmus of Rotterdam’s collection until this day, because the collector Bonifacius Amerbach kept it and gave it to the city. In this episode, among other things, you will see the chest, Amerbach kept the estate in.

Images from a minting workshop of the 16th century

How were coins produced in the 16th century? Only few illustrations provide information about that process. One of the most important is a pane featuring the coat of arms of the Schaffhausen mint master Werner Zentgraf…

What was salvation’s price?

How much did a believer of the late Middle Ages invest in order to win salvation? We will add up figures coming from a really built chapel in order to figure it out…

Prophet Daniel in the lion’s den in Basel

On June 20, 2012 in Schaffhausen an exhibition was opened on the occasion of 25 years Sturzenegger Foundation. In these years the numismatic department too has received many important acquisitions as for instance this medal from Basel featuring Prophet Daniel in the lion’s den.

Waser – a calumniated mayor and his coins

On June 20, 2012 in Schaffhausen an exhibition was opened on the occasion of 25 years Sturzenegger Foundation. In these years the numismatic department too has received many important acquisitions as for instance this so-called wasertaler, a coin which tells about envy, calumniation, and the vanity of integrity.

Introduction ‘The People of Zurich and their Money’ Part 1

Our series ‘The People of Zurich and their Money’ will present one exciting chapter of Swiss numismatics and economic history at a time. The introduction provides an initial overview in two parts. Follow along in this first section as we trace the evolution of Swiss numismatics from the beginning all the way through to the 16th century.

Swissmint – Federal Mint in the Kirchenfeld / Bern

The Swiss Mint was founded more than 100 years ago. Read here how a mint looked like in those days…