Ursula Kampmann

Our series ‘The People of Zurich and their Money’ will present one exciting chapter of Swiss numismatics and economic history at a time. The introduction provides an initial overview in two parts. Follow along in this first section as we trace the evolution of Swiss numismatics from the beginning all the way through to the 16th century.

The relationship between the Swiss people and their Vreneli could be described as nostalgic, even loving almost. This traditional Swiss bullion coins is still a typical gift for births, First Communions or confirmations.

Did you know that you can still have a look at the numismatic collection of Erasmus of Rotterdam at the Basler Historisches Museum? We will show you several medals from his personal collection.

The Canadian Maple Leaf is currently one of the most popular bullion coins worldwide. This is not only due to its ubiquitous availability but it is also popular because of its high purity and the security features, the Royal Canadian Mint has come up with.

Beyond price - no, great art has never been beyond price. Quite the opposite actually, as it had a clearly defined price. We will see, just how high that price was in this article about Shakespeare.

The Channel Island of Guernsey is a popular destination with tourists. The island doesn’t form part of Great Britain, but, as Bailiwick, has been Crown dependency of the English monarchs since the Middle Ages. The local coins still bear witness to this.

It is an unspectacular coin, that testimony of the culminating conflict between France and Spain, between Francis I and Charles V. ...

In the service of the King of Denmark, Carsten Niebuhr (1733-1815) travelled through the Orient from 1761 to 1767. His main goal was to prove the Bible right after all. To us numismatists, however, other parts of his report are much more intriguing nowadays.

Do you know what the Church understands by a ‘Holy Year’? Initially, it was created as a special attraction for the pilgrims coming to Rome who were promised a plenary indulgence. Today, every Pope has his own year. In this regard, we show you coins from five centuries...

Why was it that Renaissance rulers went to Italy to seek good fortune? Why was it that thousands of ducats and thaler were spent on mercenary soldiers? This article gives an insight into the war between Francis I of France and Charles V of Italy...