Tag Archive for: History

Gold rush in California: part III

Countless stories tell of the Californian gold rush which brought thousands of men to America, the Promised Land. But the gold made only very few rich. The majority died as a result of the exertion during the travel, the hard work and the disappointment when they returned back home, poorer than they had come. Their story should be told here.

Rediscovery of Celtic gold in Brentonico

Helmut Rizzolli presents three Celtic gold coins which were found in Tyrol in the 19th century. A hundred years ago, a museum used them to pay off their heating bills, now they have reappeared on the collector’s market and can finally be analysed and interpreted.

Documenting the Past: an Ancient Industry recorded in Coinage

An unusual coin type recently sold for 30,000 GBP at the London-based Ceres Auction House depicts an ancient industry, hitherto unrecorded on coinage or sculptural reliefs: the production of noodles.

The Reformation jubilee in Quedlinburg Abbey

On 29 June 2017, a very rare commemorative coin of the abbess of Quedlinburg will be put to auction at Künker sale 294. It is dedicated to the Reformation jubilee of 1617, but the question arises, where people got the idea to celebrate the jubilee in the first place.

The Treveri – the tribe which Treves was named after

On 8 October 2018, the first part of the Dr W. R. collection “Celtic world and Celtic money” will be liquidated in Künker auction 312. We use the ample material provided by the collection to present the history and the coins of the Celtic Treveri tribe.

Human faces, part 26: Viva il popolo

Why was the human head the motif on coins for centuries, no, for millennia? And why did that change in the last 200 years? John the Baptist paid for his convictions with his head. The Florentines honour his courage on their coinage.

Human faces, part 41: Augsburg and the Thirty Years’ War

Being a Free Imperial City proved fatal for Augsburg during the Thirty Years’ War. This episode discusses the disastrous effects of the war on the city’s economic situation.

40 Years Gorny & Mosch Giessener Münzhandlung

Many coin collectors never forget, who was the one, who sold the very first coin to them. Perhaps you as well will remember your own collecting past, while reading the history of 40 years of Gorny & Mosch…

Human faces, part 27: Stupor Mundi

Why was the human head the motif on coins for centuries, no, for millennia? And why did that change in the last 200 years? A particularly clever mind was hidden in Frederick’s II head, whose inexhaustible thirst for knowledge earned him the nickname “Stupor Mundi”, wonder of the world.

Human faces, part 42: The Duke of Friedland

Why was the human head the motif on coins for centuries, no, for millennia? And why did that change in the last 200 years? In this episode we talk about Albrecht von Wallenstein and his business model.