The Faerie Queene
It is called the most beautiful of all English coins, the coin type of young Queen Victoria that depicts her as Una leading the British lion with her scepter. The motif harks back to a 16th century poem that praised yet another queen. The Künker summer auction now offers one of these rare specimens for a pre-sale estimate of 50,000 euros.
Great Britain’s 5 Guineas
Accidental attendees of the big English horse auctions in the 1960s were probably amazed to see that the bidding was still being done in guineas although the very last British guinea had been minted in 1813. Nevertheless, this denomination reflects the aristocratic way of life more than anything else in Great Britain.
Poets and their income: William Shakespeare
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.
Bonnie Prince Charles
An impressive gold medal that is being put to auction on 16 March 2017 with Künker conveys the official version of a story, we are more likely to know from folk songs, novels and the cinema: On 16 April 1746, Bonnie Prince Charles was defeated in the Battle of Culloden.
Between East and West or: the first Western coins of China
The first Chinese coins imitating western models were struck on the island of Formosa, modern-day Taiwan, nearly 200 years before. This article will tell the story, how it came about...
Let’s be merciful and hang them: The Catherine Heyland case
In March 1788, a police unit of the Westminster community stormed a locked room in London. They had been tipped off that two people committed a crime in that house that was forbidden under penalty of death: false coining...
The Irish harp
Every coin of Ireland, from 1 cent to 2 euros, features a harp. We ask why the harp plays such an important role in Irish identification.
Henry VII – Founder of the Tudor Dynasty
In the mid-15th century two aristocratic houses divided England deeply fighting the so-called War of the Roses. Henry VII overcame this situation by a marriage founding a new, stable dynasty: the Tudors.
By examining 12 coins we are going to stroll through Great Britain’s history – this is part 5.
Henry VIII – the Man Who Had Six Wives
Henry VIII is renowned for his many wifes. Behind these marriages was his endeavour to unite love and a secure dynasty. On behalf of this goal he even broke with the Pope and the church.
By examining 12 coins we are going to stroll through Great Britain’s history – this is part 6.