Sometimes, a war can be prevented or provoked by a single diplomat: this is the story of Heinrich Wilhelm von Werther, who played a central role in preventing a Europe-wide war from breaking out in 1830. The French king presented him with a unique medal, which will be auctioned at Künker on 27 September 2021.
On 27 September 2021, an icon of Japanese coinage will be auctioned off as part of the Schwarz Collection offered by Künker: the 20 yen piece of 1870 of which only very few specimens were minted to be given to dignitaries of the imperial court. We tell its story.
After the unification, Italy had a lot of problems. And the politicians loved to distract from them. A reliable means: showing strength and winning colonies. The Italians plunged into the power adventures in Africa – and got a bloody nose.
The new state of Italy is growing together, however, the “heart” of the country – Rome – is controlled by the Pope. When France withdraws its protective hand from the Holy See, the patriots are already in the starting blocks to storm the Eternal City.
In 1860, Italy was gripped by national fever: Giuseppe Garibaldi “liberated” the south and Victor Emmanuel II became king of all Italy – well, almost. The first thing the new kingdom got was a uniform currency with really nice coins.
In the middle of the 19th century, Italy was made up of numerous small states that had their own currencies. However, the Count of Cavour came along and united the country by means of diplomatic skill and passion.
In 1582, the Archbishop of Cologne converted to the Reformed faith. Not for religious reasons but because he wanted to marry his beloved. This triggered a war. In its anniversary auction 350, Künker offers a 2 1/2 taler piece of this bishop.
In 1702, the Benedictine monk Anselmo Banduri published a monumental work on the coinage of late antiquity. His work has been fundamental for further research. Now a specimen is being offered at an auction of Münzen & Medaillen GmbH.
In its anniversary auction sale 350, Künker offers a medal by Sebastian Dadler, which deals with the failed ambitions of the Stadtholder of the Netherlands: he would have liked for the Eighty Years’ War to go on for a bit longer.
Lösers were more than representative coins. They played an essential role in court ceremonials that took place on special occasions. The löser rarities of the Friedrich Popken Collection, which will be auctioned off at Künker on 29 June 2021, illustrate this function.
