Two Dukes in Pomerania
On January 31, 2013, a Pomerania collection will be coming up for auction at Künkers’. Here, we present two coins from the collection that are as different as the men who had them minted.
Tag Archive for: Holy Roman Empire
Wolfgang II von Barby (1586-1615) – An Imperial Count in Financial Straits
On January 31, 2013, Künker will hold his fabulous Berlin sale in connection with the World Money Fair. Among the many rare pieces on offer is a unique thaler from Barby. This thaler testifies to the financial difficulties of the small imperial estate at the beginning of the modern era.
The Russians in Koenigsberg: a numismatic testimony to the Seven Years’ War
In the upcoming auction of the Tempelhofer Münzenhaus / Berlin, on April 6, 2017, a large collection of coins of Frederick II will be auctioned off. They include a comprehensive series of Russian coins from East Prussia. We are telling their story.
Pour le mérite
On May 31, 1740, Frederick II succeeded his father on the throne, soldier-king Frederick William I. To the 28 year-old, that came as some kind of liberation. Finally, he was able to carry out his ideas.
Between Germany and France: The Duchy of Lorraine
On 16 May 2017, one of the most significant collections of Lorraine that has come on the market during the last decades will be put to auction at the Heidelberger Münzhandlung. We will tell you the story of this duchy on the basis of a few of the collection’s rarities.
Human Faces Part 22: The boy from Apulia
Why is it that for centuries – or rather thousands of years – the head has served as the motif for the side of a coin? And why has this changed in the last 200? In this episode, Frederick II proves that the sword is not the only way to gain a throne.
Trade Coins of Frederick II
On 2nd July 2014, the Osnabrück auction house Künker can celebrate a jubilee. It is going to conduct its 250th auction sale on that very day. It goes without saying that this calls for something special to be auctioned off: The Masuren Collection – Coins of the Kingdom of Prussia. It includes rarities of the Prussian coinage in the best state of preservation. That is a wonderful opportunity to look at the trade coins of Frederick the Great in detail.
How much for a castle?
What do you think, how much did it cost to build a castle in the Middle Ages? What would it cost to build the exact same castle today? And how much of a small town’s income would the costs have taken up? This article gives you the answers to these questions.
Human faces, part 36: Charles V – Territories as far as the eye can see
For centuries, no, for millennia, human faces were the most popular choice for the decoration of a coin obverse. That the coin’s reverse can be just as fascinating will be shown in this episode of our series.
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.
