Articles

In 466 the tyrant Thrasybulus was expelled from Syracuse, which is how the Syracusans became democratic and soon enough had to defend themselves against Athens – which would have liked to also have influence over Sicily.

Thanks to Flavius Josephus, we know a lot about the Jewish-Roman War. And thanks to the coins, we know how it was perceived by the Romans. On the example of coins from the upcoming Künker antiques auction 318, we recount what happened back then, and why it became such an important topic in Flavian coinage.

Why is it that for centuries – or rather thousands of years – the head has served as the motif for the side of a coin? And why has this changed in the last 200 years? In this episode, we will look at Henry’s VI coin portrait and tell his story.

Both religion and power were the focal points of the Thirty Years’ War that shook the whole of Europe during the 17th century. Ursula Kampmann brings that era alive. Today you will be introduced to new protagonists of this war, including a Protestant who was in no way inferior to Catholic Ferdinand when it came to fanatism.

In May 2015 the research network DAMIN organized a meeting in Copenhagen. It focused on mints, technology and coin production. On this occasion Ursula Kampmann gave a lecture summarizing today’s coin manufacturing. We publish this lecture here.

In the early 18th century, 100 Bernese founded a small settlement in North Carolina. After some initial setbacks, this settlement developed into a thriving city. Ruedi Kunzmann traces the history of this city on the basis of its banknotes, which will be for sale at the upcoming Sincona auction.

When the euro was introduced, each country was faced with the question how to best represent itself on the new coins. Why Italy chose Dante and why this great poet deserves his own coin will be the concern of this episode.

Gaining access to the San Francisco Mint is not that easy. And it is outright prohibited to take photographs, strictly speaking. We can still provide you with interesting insights: old and new photographs of one of the world’s biggest mints.

The coronation of Maximilian II in Frankfurt set the tone for a period of religious peace in the Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation: The pragmatic politician was willing to break new ground, including for his own coronation.

On 2nd July 2014, the Osnabrück auction house Künker can celebrate a jubilee. It is going to conduct its 250th auction sale on that very day. It goes without saying that this calls for something special to be auctioned off: The Masuren Collection – Coins of the Kingdom of Prussia. It includes rarities of the Prussian coinage in the best state of preservation. That is a wonderful opportunity to look at the trade coins of Frederick the Great in detail.