Tag Archive for: History

Poets and their income: Hans Jakob Christoffel von Grimmelshausen

Beyond price – no, great art has never been beyond price. Quite the opposite actually – it had a clearly defined price. We will see just how high that price was, looking at the example of the German baroque poet Grimmelshausen. No one has left us with a more impressive account of the Thirty Years’ War.

Nine months and 13 days: the reign of Galba

In its Auction 333 to be held on November 30, 2017, the long-standing auction house Hess-Divo offers a particularly remarkable special collection, the Galba Collection. It is dedicated to the Roman Emperor Galba, as the first emperor who no longer stemmed from the Julio-Claudian dynasty. We tell his story through some of the rarities stemming from this collection.

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 …

Big price for an emergency coin

The city of Syracuse issued a marvelous gold coin during its war against the Carthaginians. A perfect specimen of this emission sold for 66.700 Euro during the last auction sale of Gorny & Mosch…

Henry VIII – the Man Who Had Six Wives

Henry VIII is renowned for his many wifes. Behind these marriages was his endeavour to unite love and a secure dynasty. On behalf of this goal he even broke with the Pope and the church.
By examining 12 coins we are going to stroll through Great Britain’s history – this is part 6.

A Weight from the Empire of the Seleucids

A huge elephant is depicted on the weight that was auctioned off on 18th December 2013 in auction sale Gorny & Mosch 218 – Ancient Art. It is of interest not just to the art lover but to everyone concerned with ancient metrology. After all, both the shekel and the drachm is based on the mine, i.e. the unit represented by this weight.

Postumus – The creator of the Gallic Empire

Alemanni, Juthungi, Franks, and Sassanians attack the Roman world. Postumus seizes the moment and establishes the Gallic Empire. We will tell the story of his coins on the basis of a comprehensive special collection which will be sold at the upcoming Jacquier Auction.

Meyer Amschel Rothschild, court factor and coin dealer

Meyer Amschel Rothschild worked his way out of the Frankfurt Jewish ghetto and all the way up to court factor in the 18th century. He specialised in coin- and antiquities dealing before becoming the founder of a famous dynasty of bankers.

Medieval Sicily Part 1: The Byzantines

Since ancient times, Sicily has been a cultural melting pot, a junction of Africa and Europe, of West and East. The Byzantines even temporarily moved their capital there.

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.