Numismatic Miniatures from the North: Part 3 – Treasure Island. The History
If you’re looking for the island where the most treasures have been found, you don’t need to sail to the Caribbean. Far from it. The highest concentration of treasure finds is in the North, more specifically on the island of Gotland, which used to be a central trading post in the Baltic Sea.
How much for a castle?
What do you think, how much did it cost to build a castle in the Middle Ages? What would it cost to build the exact same castle today? And how much of a small town’s income would the costs have taken up? This article gives you the answers to these questions.
Human faces, part 31: The Condottieri, winners in every war
From dishwasher to millionaire, or: from mercenary to Duke of Milan. Francesco Sforza did the impossible and founded one of the most influential families in Renaissance Italy.
Human faces, part 36: Charles V – Territories as far as the eye can see
For centuries, no, for millennia, human faces were the most popular choice for the decoration of a coin obverse. That the coin’s reverse can be just as fascinating will be shown in this episode of our series.
Sigismund III – King of Poland, King of Sweden
The early modern era was much more democratic that we are inclined to believe. The Polish chose a Swedish king, and the Swedes forced that Polish king to make great concessions. A unique coin which will be sold at Leipziger Münzhandlung on October 24, 2015, bears testimony to these events.
This is how coins with polymer ring are made: a visit to the Karlsruhe Mint
On April 14, 2016, the 5 euro coins “Planet Earth” will be released. The number of orders exceeds the mintage. For all those who came away empty-handed we have a view inside the Karlsruhe Mint where a portion of the mintage was produced.
Why a State Mints Coins
Why did states start to mint their own coins? And why does the control of the monetary system belong to the most important governmental tasks? Here you will find an insight how this happened.
Numismatic miniatures from the North: Part 4 – Treasure Island. Treasures, treasures and even more treasures
More than 700 treasure cases with around 180,000 coins have been discovered on the island of Gotland. The trader-peasants buried the earnings from their adventurous travels in the ground, where they were found by their descendants.
Human faces, part 24: The woman in charge of Zurich
Why is it that for centuries – or rather thousands of years – the head has served as the motif for the side of a coin? That whoever was holding the office of the abbess at the Fraumünster in Zurich in the Middle Ages was in an immensely powerful position is remembered on today’s coin.
How Malta Came under the British Flag
On March 12, 2015, the auction house Künker auctions off an unusually rare testimony of the Maltese history. The small silver ingot in the weight of 30 tari from 1800 is the last currency produced on Malta.