The age of alchemy
The wonders of alchemy enthralled the smartest men of early modern times. An impressive testimony to his passion is a silver medal, which will be auctioned off at the upcoming Künker Fall Auction on September 28, 2016.
Tag Archive for: Nations
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.
Charles, Landgrave of Hesse: Creator of the Military Power of Hesse
An extremely rare double ducat made of Eder-gold will be sold at Kunker’s on October 30, 2012. It reminds us of how poor of natural resources this region once had been. Hence, Charles created a resource of his own: his army.
Bags – an interesting topic for numismatics, too
Did you ever wonder which item is the most important one in a lady’s handbag? No, not the iPhone – it’s the money bag containing money, ID card, credit cards… Actually, the handbag originated from the want to show as imposingly as possible how much money one had at one’s disposal. That can be seen in an exhibition in the Bayerisches Nationalmuseum.
Philip II of Pomerania and his coin dealer Philipp Hainhofer
Around 1600, coin collecting was “the” leisure activity of the intellectual elite. The emperor himself was an avid collector. He was imitated by many noblemen among them Philip II of Pomerania, who put together a great art collection in cooperation with Philipp Hainhofer.
The Spirit of Money
Everybody likes a good laugh, especially at the weaknesses of others. Perhaps this is the reason why we all enjoy caricatures so much: because they make us laugh before we are taken aback and begin to reflect on them.
The Aareal Bank obviously agreed with this view since the management had decided 20 years ago to assemble a collection of caricatures focusing on the very intriguing relationship of people with money. For this purpose, roughly 300 original works by Sempé, Hogarth, Daumier, Hurzlmeier, Haitzinger and a great many others were brought together. Now the Wilhelm-Busch-Museum houses that material: the Aaereal Bank entrusted its collection to the “Deutsches Museum für Karikatur und kritische Graphik“ as permanent loan. A first exhibition was presented as early as 2009 – let us hope that many more will follow.
German oaks and national sentiments
It is rather unspectacular what can be seen on German 1, 2 and 5 Cent coins: a simple oak branch – boring, one might say. However, the oak symbol is very old and closely connected with Germany, its national identity and its democracy for nearly 300 years…
Charles of Anjou and the Sicilian Vespers
19 children Frederick II had had but his family was to be wiped out only a few years after his death. The enmity of the Pope is to blame or that – and an extremely effective opponent…
Gold rush in California: part II
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.
A German Cicero
On 7 October, 2014, Künker auctions off the Horn Collection. It contains cimelia not just of the European but the German coinage as well. We would like to introduce you to a spectacular piece – the thick triple reichsthaler of Archbishop Anselm Casimir Wamboldt von Umstadt, nicknamed German Cicero.
