Article of the week

In Search of the Big Five

The Big Five – they are the stars on South Africa’s commemorative coins. We visit the elephant, lion, rhino, buffalo, and leopard in their most famous reserve, the Kruger National Park. Let’s see how many of the iconic five we can capture (with the camera).

Schätzpreis: 250,000 EURBerlin-Auktionen 379-380
Sachsen. Christian II. Johann Georg I. und August,
1 591-1611. 10 Dukaten 1611, Dresden, auf den Tod
Christians II. am 23. Juni. NGC: MS 65.

Von allergrößter Seltenheit.
835
Schätzpreis: 200,000 EURBraunschweig-Calenberg-Hannover. Johann Friedrich,
1665-1679. Löser zu 6 Reichstalern 1679, Zellerfeld.
Geprägt und verteilt anlässlich der Beerdigung
Johann Friedrichs. Aus Sammlung Salton und
Sammlung Meyerhof, Auktion Schulman 171 (1930),
Nr. 156. Äußerst selten. Fast vorzüglich.
156
Schätzpreis: 50.000,- EURSchweden. Erik XIV., 1560-1568.
Goldgulden 1568, Stockholm. Aus Sammlung Widegren.

Äußerst selten. Kleines Loch.
340

News

Between Tradition and the Demands of a New Economic World

The 32nd Mint Directors Conference took place in Cape Town from April 27th to 29th, 2025. It was the highlight of my numismatic journey through South Africa. In an international context, South Africa presented itself as a promising country of (numismatic) opportunities.

Sir Winston Churchill at 150: Highlights From the J. Eric Engstrom Medal Collection

Last November, Winston Churchill would have turned 150 years old. To mark the occasion, the Heberden Coin Room at the Ashmolean is displaying pieces from their rich collection of medals related to Churchill, most of which come from the J. Eric Engstrom Collection of Churchill Medals.

Pop-Up Expo at the Royal Library of Belgium: The Past in Metal

The Department of Coins & Medals at the Royal Library of Belgium (KBR) invites you on a journey through Belgium’s history via coins – from the ancient Eburones to emergency money from the Eighty Years’ War and objects used as currency in colonial Congo.

Leu Numismatik Sponsors the New Friedrich Imhoof-Blumer Fellowship in Winterthur

Leu Numismatik is supporting the new Friedrich Imhoof-Blumer Fellowship at the Coin Cabinet in Winterthur, which will be awarded for the first time in 2025. The fellowship, endowed with CHF 3,000, is aimed at early-career researchers working on a numismatic project. Application deadline: June 30, 2025.

CIT’ Numismatic Icons – Leon

CIT is releasing the sixth issue in its successful Numismatic Icons series. It reinterprets the early tetradrachms of the Sicilian city of Leontinoi. The impressive motif of a lion’s head – ‘leon’ in Greek – has always made these coins unique.

Bulgaria Will Adopt the Euro in 2026

The euro area is expanding: On June 4, 2025, the European Central Bank confirmed that Bulgaria meets the requirements for joining the eurozone. This clears the way for the introduction of the euro on January 1, 2026 – provided that preparations can be completed in time.