The Battle of Poltava
On February 4th, 2016, Auction House Künker will offer a gold medal, commemorating, what probably is, the most important military success of Peter the Great: his victory at the Battle of Poltava, which changed the course of the Great Nordic War.
Sicilian Mosaic Part 7: The coinage of Himera and Acragas
Do you know the coins from Himera with the crab of Acragas on the reverse? More about the coinage of these two cities and the historical background of this particular reverse motif can be found here.
Wolrab’s medal on the military relief of Vienna
In 1683, Johann Jacob Wolrab created one of the most beautiful medals showing the relief of Vienna, which marked the end of the second Ottoman siege. Incredibly rich in details, this strike depicts the dramatic battle at Kahlenberg Mountain.
Human Faces Part 22: The boy from Apulia
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? In this episode, Frederick II proves that the sword is not the only way to gain a throne.
The First Gold Coins of the United States
Carolina, Georgia, California – many people were attracted to set out for the unknown by the prospect of an easy yield in the gold fields. That makes the gold rush one of the foundation myths of the United States of America. In the Berlin auction Künker offers a range of numismatic testimonies to this eventful era.
The Coin that was meant to be paper money: The “Wiener Stadtbancozettel Teilungsmünze”
There is a special coin among the lots offered at the Auction 42 of the Münzen & Medaillen GmbH: It’s a so called Wiener Stadtbancozettel Teilungsmünze, coined in 1807. The name sounds quite strange: What does it mean?
The Thirty Years’ War – Part 16 (1636-1640)
Religion was of secondary importance in the Thirty Years’ War. It was all about power and money. Ursula Kampmann brings that era alive. The war performs another volte-face: now, it is the Protestants’ move.
Human faces, part 47: The frivolous Vreneli
Why was the human head the motif on coins for centuries, no, for millennia? Discussions about the precise nature of these heads could be highly entertaining as the example of the Swiss Vreneli demonstrates.
Sicilian Mosaic Part 8: Athens intervenes on Sicily
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.
The First War Between Jews and Romans
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.