Articles

“The Virgin Queen” is certainly the most well-known epithet of Elizabeth I. We thought, however, that “Queen of the Pirates” would be equally befitting as English privateers belong to Elizabeth’s story just as much as her virginity.

During the upcoming Künker March Auction of 2016 an innovative coin of the Roman Civil War will be auctioned off. Sextus Pompey created an aureus referring to his father, Pompey the Great and his brother, Gnaeus Pompeius.

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.

Why was the human head the motif on coins for centuries, no, for millennia? And why did that change in the last 200 years? In today’s episode, we’ll tell you the story of an Italian prince who admired Hercules so much that he named his son after him.

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.