The Treaty of Hamburg
In 1701, the Treaty of Hamburg ended the dispute over Mecklenburg-Güstrow between Friedrich Wilhelm I and Adolf Friedrich II. And another dispute culminated in the medals minted to mark the treaty, namely the one between the mint-master and the warden of the Schwerin mint. We are telling you the story.
Money of the German Colonies
In 1871, after the great victory over France and the unification of the German Confederation in the German Empire, ambitious German businessmen thought that everything was possible. They saw their English colleagues earning the earth in the colonies and wanted to do just the same...
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.
Napoleon tames the Saxon Steed
Napoleon was a master in the art of humiliation. Please find here a characteristic example of his mastership: The French Victoria is taming the Saxon Steed on a medal made from Saxon silver.
Adolf of Schwarzenberg – The Liberator of Raab
On March 29, 1598, Adolf of Schwarzenberg reconquered the fortress of Raab, taking it back from the Turks. The Emperor was thankful: He elevated the victorious military to Imperial Count and thus made the House of Schwarzenberg an important factor in the Habsburg Empire.
Gold for Portugal
Portugaleser, that is how the magnificent large gold coins are called that were produced in Hamburg. But what do they have to do with Portugal? The answer lies in the route the African gold has taken in the Early Modern Times...
Gold for Wallenstein
In the autumn auction sale of Künker, between the 7th and the 11th October 2013, a ten ducat piece of Albrecht von Wallenstein with a gorgeous portrait will be on offer. This piece shows the extraordinary economic genius, whose logistical skills made him become probably the greatest military leader of his era, at the peak of his power.
Poets and their income: Hans Jakob Christoffel von Grimmelshausen
Beyond price – no, great art has never been beyond price. Quite the opposite actually – it had a clearly defined price. We will see just how high that price was, looking at the example of the German baroque poet Grimmelshausen. No one has left us with a more impressive account of the Thirty Years’ War.
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.
Parade of the “Lange Kerls” (Long Guys)
They were his special hobby, the “Lange Kerls” (Long Guys), Frederick William I of Prussia tested his military innovations on. He even had a medal dedicated to them.