Tag Archive for: History

What Are Mining Issues? Mining Prior to the Industrial Revolution

If you mint coins, you need metal. The minting techniques employed for this were technical breakthroughs and closely linked to advances in engineering. So-called mining issues bear witness to this. Wilhelm Müseler tells their story.

Akbar – Ruler of the Mughal Empire Part 2

Akbar ruled over an empire on the Indian subcontinent. Administering it was a daunting task, and Akbar introduced loads of reforms. Read on to find out how the outstanding skills of his mathematicians helped him, and what this has to do with his coinage!

Akbar – Ruler of the Mughal Empire Part 1

The Muslim Akbar founded a world empire in which people of different religions lived together peacefully. How did this come about and what challenges did the ruler have to overcome to get there? And, most importantly: what can coins tell us about it?

The Markstetten Coin Hoard: Witness to a Political Thriller in the High Middle Ages

On 18 June 2017, a coin hoard was discovered near Markstetten. It was probably buried around 1230 and is reminiscent of a dispute over the Regensburg episcopal see. Auction house Künker offers the entire hoard for sale on 25 March 2021.

Joachim I: The Power-Conscious Elector Who Minted the First Brandenburg Taler

We are back in 1521: Luther stands in Worms and can do no other and the elector of Brandenburg mints the first talers of Brandenburg history. 500 years after it was minted, Künker offers one specimen of the extremely rare talers. We tell its story.

How Do We Even Know When The Battle at Marathon Took Place?

On 22nd March 2021, Künker will be auctioning off an extensive collection of coins of Roman Alexandria. Among them are 14 specimens of the zodiac series of Antoninus Pius. These pieces tell us something about how we know when events took place in ancient history.

The Last Years in the Life of Jacques-Antoine Dassier

On 28th January 2021, a Künker auction presents a 10-ruble piece from 1757 whose die was created by the Genevan medalist Jacques-Antoine Dassier. But this is not the only special thing about it: A small collector’s hallmark proves it once belonged to the Hutten-Czapski collection.

Gold From Coal and Stone: Ernst III of Holstein-Schauenburg

While others ruined themselves with enormous buildings, Ernst III was one of the beneficiaries of early absolutism. He supplied others with the material needed for construction and metalworking. On 28 January 2021, auction house Künker offers a 10fold ducat of this enterprising count.

Lösers in Death Rituals: The Funeral of John Frederick of Brunswick-Calenberg

On 28th January 2021 auction house Künker offers selected lösers from the Popken Collection. One of them gives us a clue as to what lösers may have been used for. We learn from a book that this coin was distributed as a gift of honour to the princely attendees of the funeral of John Frederick of Brunswick-Calenberg.

Wie sahen die römischen Kaiser wirklich aus?

Der Grafiker Daniel Voshart hat den römischen Kaisern ein frisches Gesicht gegeben. Mit modernster Computertechnik und Photoshop hat er realistische Porträts von 54 Cäsaren entwickelt. Dabei halfen ihm Münzen und antike Texte – und ein Profi-Wrestler …