Numismatic Puzzle: The Rolling Mill
In today’s puzzle you will deal with the rolling mill. The reward is a reconstruction of this machine, which revolutionised the minting of coins in the 16th century.
Numismatic Puzzle: Poseidonia
Today, we have a coin featuring a Greek god, who was believed to protect the cities of Southern Italy from earthquakes. It was a useful thing to have him on your side: after all, he caused the earthquakes himself. To see what he used to do this, take a look at the coin.
Numismatic Puzzle: A Zurich Horror Show
This 1512 Zurich silver taler appears to depict a horror scene: three people hold their heads in front of them. In fact, they are the city’s patron saints Felix, Regula and Exuperantius. They were persecuted and beheaded as Christians in ancient times – and thus became saints.
Numismatic Puzzle: Caesar as an Elephant
Today you will try your hand at a special denarius of Caesar. In 49 BC, in the midst of the civil war, the general chose a dramatic image: an elephant that tramples a snake. What do you think? Who is who in this political message?
Numismatic Puzzle: Leonhard von Keutschach
In 1500, the Archbishop of Salzburg Leonhard von Keutschach had this silver batzen minted. Through his reforms he turned Salzburg into one of the richest principalities of the Holy Roman Empire.
Numismatic Puzzle: Alexander the Great
Today you can try your hand at a tetradrachm of Lysimachus. The reward is a portrait of Alexander the Great!
Numismatic Puzzle: Greek Yin and Yang
This time, you will try your hand at a drachm from Istros on the Black Sea coast. The issue does not specify what the motif in the style of a Chinese yin and yang symbol depicts: the brothers Castor und Pollux, the trade up and down the river? Anyway: a fascinating beauty!
Numismatic Puzzle: Spade Coin
No, today’s issue does not feature gardening tools, but a numismatic object lesser known in Europe. Spade coins were a type of money in ancient China. This coin is from the 3rd century BC and you can probably tell straight away how it got its name.
Numismatic Puzzle: A New Capital for the Roman People
Today’s puzzle shows us how the Roman Empire moved its centre of power around 300: on this solidus, Roma presents the globe to Emperor Constantine the Great. From then on, it was no longer the old lady on the Tiber who played first fiddle but the metropolis on the Bosporus.
Numismatic Puzzle: A Rebellious Mint Master
According to its reverse, this denarius of Louis the Pious was minted in Venice. But the lagoon city wasn’t even ruled by the Carolingians! How is this possible? Does this coin testify to a plot of the mint master against his doge? …
