The Purim Festival of the Protestants
In its Berlin Auction 286, the auction house Künker auctions off the Ottar Ertzeid Collection with coins from the Swedish Territories. The offer includes a series of Purim talers. In this article, we address the question why the Protestants of Erfurt took a Jewish festival, of all events, to date their coins.
Munich Auction House offers Objects from the Moussaieff Collection
On June 30, 2017, the Munich auction house Gorny & Mosch will offer objects from the collection of Israeli jeweler Shlomo Moussaieff. They bear testimony to an extraordinary man with an unusual biography.
Joachim II and his Jewish court factor
On February 1, 2017 the auction house Künker offers the top items from the Gunther Hahn Collection “Brandenburg-Preussen” as part of its Berlin Auction. They include some extremely rare coins of Joachim II who relied on Lipman ben Juda to conduct his financial transactions.
The sad fate of Wilhelmine Amalia
Recte et constanter – uprightly and firmly, this is the motto under which empress Wilhelmine Amalia had taken up the reign. And uprightly and firmly did she act after her husband’s death as well. That is what is presented on an impressive medal offered at Künker.
Ainos – A Commercial Center in Thrace
Ainos, today called Enez and located on the border of the Aegean Sea in the European part of Turkey, didn't have any important resources. As far as we know, there also didn't exist any remarkable industry. Ainos reached incredible wealth during the 5th century B.C. despite these facts.
Buckingham gold hoard
Around midday on Saturday 16 December 2006 two metal detectorists strolled onto a field near Buckingham and within a few minutes picked up a valuable gold coin that was lying on the surface. By the end of the weekend ...
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...
Under the eyes of Artemis
The upcoming sale of Numismatica Genevensis SA on November 30, 2010 offers a unique gold stater struck by the citizens of Abydos. Here’s the story behind...
Sensation at 5 Centimes in Le Petit Journal
The 1896 share certificate of the newspaper Le Petit Journal shows a sou in the lower border. France counted about 40 million people around that time...
And this is where Aristotle was wrong…
Aristotle, in his work on the structure of the Tarentine government, likewise described the coins of the city. He remarked that they depicted Taras, son of Poseidon, riding a dolphin. Was he right? Or is there another, more possible, option?