Press Releases about Künker
If you are interested in getting the latest press releases about Künker, please contact
Fabian Halbich
Phone: +49 541 96202 26
E-Mail: fabian.halbich@kuenker.de
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04/03/2024
Review of our Spring Auction Sales 403-406
Special collections from the Vatican, the Holy Roman Empire, Mainz, Regensburg and Löwenstein-Wertheim – these were just some of the highlights featuring in our Spring Auction Sales. We present the main attractions: the most expensive coins of our auctions 403-406. The highlights of auction 402 with ancient coins can be found in a separate review.
04/03/2024
Review of our Spring Auction Sale 402 with Coins from the Ancient World
On 14 and 15 March 2024, we held our auction with coins of the ancient world. The sale focused on the Sayar Collection featuring specimens from Lycia, Cilicia and Pamphylia. We present the highlights as well as the most expensive piece of the sale.
03/23/2024
A War Fought with Unusual Weapons: How Prussia Used Finance and Politics to Force the Habsburg Hereditary Lands Out of the German Confederation
On 26 March 2024, the we will offer the Tursky Collection with coins of Emperor Franz Josef I. We use specimens from this collection to tell the story of how Prussia used its economic sway to become the sole hegemonic power in Germany.
03/01/2024
Regensburg: Where the Emperor and the Empire Met
Only a few German cities issued as magnificent early modern coins as Regensburg. And there is a good reason for this – gold and heavy silver coins in particular were in high demand in this city. Not for trading purposes but for representation. After all, the Perpetual Diet of the Holy Roman Empire sat in Regensburg. We explain how it worked and what role coins played in this event.
02/22/2024
Coins and Medals of the Popes: Representatives of the Catholic Church
Since the 16th century, people throughout Europe have collected coins and medals of the popes. Papal issues were often intended to be collectibles rather than a means of payment. We give a little introduction to this fascinating field of collection.
02/18/2024
Preview of our eLive Premium Auction 407: The Tursky Collection of Coins Issued by Emperor Franz Josef
Those interested in Austrian coins will certainly be familiar with the name of Prof. Mag. Heinz Tursky, who passed away in April 2023. We offer his extensive collection of coins issued by Emperor Franz Josef in our eLive Premium Auction 407.
02/15/2024
Preview of our Spring Auction Sales Part 3: Popes, Mainz, Regensburg and Löwenstein
Once again, we present numerous special collections at our Spring Auction Sales. You can look forward to papal coins and medals, issues of the Mainz mint, Regensburg as well as Löwenstein-Wertheim. Moreover, a plethora of world coins and medals is on offer with a focal point on German issues.
02/15/2024
Preview of our Spring Auction Sales Part 1: Lycia, Pamphylia and Cilicia: The Sayar Collection
One of the finest collections of Greek coins from Asia Minor will be auctioned off by us during our spring auction sales. On sale is the first part of the Dr. Kaya Sayar Collection, including more than 500 lots with coins from Lycia, Pamphylia and Cilicia. This highlight is the prelude to the general auction of coins from the ancient world.
02/15/2024
Preview of our Spring Auction Sales Part 2: Ancient Coins from Various Estates
The second part of the sale contains about 500 lots with ancient coins from various estates and will be auctioned off on friday, 15th march.
01/21/2024
The Borki Train Disaster
On 29 October 1888, the Russian imperial train derailed near the village of Borki. 23 people lost their lives. The tsar’s family survived. A medal commemorates the event. It will be offered by the Künker auction house on 1 February 2024.
01/21/2024
Preview of our eLive Premium Auction 401: Multiple Portraits - A Private Collection from Westphalia
When it comes to assembling your own collection, there are almost as many topics to choose from as there are collectors out there. After all, every collector sets their own criteria to determine what pieces should be part of their collection. In our eLive Premium Auction 401, we present a fascinating topic: multiple portraits.
01/20/2024
Why Are There So Many Coins Depicting Saint George?
Saint George is one of the most popular saints of the Middle Ages and the early modern period. He is venerated by both Catholic and Orthodox Christians, the Druze and even Muslims. What do we know about this saint? Did he even exist? And why are there so many coins depicting him?
12/22/2023
The Great Elector, Taxes and the Rise of Prussia
On 1 February 2024, we will hold our 400th auction sale. Among the 770 lots are very rare issues from the reign of Frederick William of Brandenburg-Prussia. They bear witness to the achievements of the Great Elector, who brought prosperity to a realm devastated by the Thirty Years’ War.
12/12/2023
Preview of our Berlin Auction Sale 400
On February 1, 2024, the World Money Fair begins with our Auction Sale 400. Look forward to a firework display of rare coins and medals!
11/08/2023
Bulgaria, Prince Ferdinand I and the Railway
Every 3rd of March, Bulgaria celebrates its bank holidays. On this day, Bulgarians remember that after the “April Uprising” of 1876, they became an autonomous principality through the Treaty of Berlin of 1878.
11/04/2023
Preview of our eLive Premium Auctions 398 and 399
On 17 and 18 November, we will hold our eLive Premium Auctions 398 and 399. Auction 398 contains about 1100 lots with world coins and medals, focusing on the German states. Auction 399 is dedicated to the Alois Wenninger Library.
10/25/2023
Empire
In auction 397, we will be auctioning a necklace and bracelet made from ancient coins, said to have been commissioned by the great general Napoleon Bonaparte for his younger sister Pauline. That would make sense: In Napoleon’s time, people loved anything that was reminiscent of antiquity.
10/25/2023
Preview of our Winter Auction Sales 395-399
Ancient Roman coins for connoisseurs with a deep interest in Roman history, a cross-section of coins from the ancient world including numerous gold issues as well as spectacular orders and decorations with magnificent provenances – this is the focus of our Winter Auction Sales in November.
09/14/2023
The Heidelberg Tun and Early Modern Winemaking
The most well-known symbol of the city of Heidelberg actually began as a sort of treasury: the Heidelberg Tun was built to accommodate the Palatinate’s tax revenue generated from winemaking. And then a Calvinist propagandist turned it into a tourist attraction. This is reflected in a medal that we will be auctioning on 29 September 2023.
09/08/2023
Two Cityscapes on Coins from Frankfurt am Main and the Artwork that inspired them
Many engravers used contemporary media to make their work easier. Their coin designs were often based on well-known copper engravings. We will illustrate this by looking at two pieces from the Loos Collection, which will be auctioned in September 2023.
08/31/2023
The Lodewijk S. Beuth Collection: Coins of the Netherlands
We haven’t seen a comparable collection of Dutch coins on the market for almost half a century! On 27 and 28 September 2023, we will be auctioning the first part of this collection in collaboration with Laurens Schulman B.V. : 1,189 lots with a total estimate of more than 2 million euros.
08/21/2023
Preview of our Fall Auction Sales 391-394
From 25 to 29 September 2023, our Fall Auction Sales will take place in Osnabrück. Collectors can look forward to several special collections. Some catalogs focus on coins from Hesse and the Netherlands. In addition, there is a large section with European gold coins, a collection of Trier issues and a special collection focusing on “multiple portraits”.
07/11/2023
Review of our eLive Premium Auctions 389-390: Saxon Coins in high demand
Following the public sales, our two eLive Premium Auctions were held on 23 and 24 June 2023. They offered several special collections – with great success! The total estimate of 630,000 euros of both auction sales jumped to a hammer price of 1.5m euros.
07/03/2023
Review of our Summer Auction Sales 387-388: Top Prices for British and Chinese Rarities
A total of 1,800 lots were offered in our two public auction sales in June. The estimate amounted to 5.3m euros; the hammer price was 7.1m euros, about 34% more than the estimate. Here you can find the top ten results of the auction sales 387 and 388.
06/09/2023
Maria Theresa and Her Persecution of Jews
On 18 December 1744, Maria Theresa adopted a decree that expelled 40,000 Bohemian Jews from their homeland. A medal testifies to the fact that she had to revoke the decree due to financial and diplomatic pressure. The time of Jewish persecution was over for the time being – that is, until the genocide of the Jews in the 20th century.
06/02/2023
The Wedding of a Century in Saxony
In the days of absolutism, a feast was not simply a gathering of friends and family. It was a political means of propagating one’s status. That is exactly what Augustus the Strong did in 1719. His son’s wedding was nothing but a welcome occasion.
05/29/2023
Preview of our eLive Premium Auctions 389-390
The highlights of our upcoming eLive Premium Auctions 389 and 390 are Saxon coins from the Kemlein Collection, Jewish medals, a series of coins from Bremen and Verden and part seven of the Salton Collection, including Roman aurei at favorable prices.
05/26/2023
From Taler to Mark: The Long Road to a Common Currency
As Germany gradually evolved into a nation-state in the 19th century, the many currencies that circulated in its territories were also unified step by step. Coins from the Duchy of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha in our auction 388 illustrate the long path from the taler to the mark.
05/19/2023
Gustav III: A Conservative Revolutionary
On 20 June 2023, we will auction off medals that the Swedish King Gustav III himself gave as a present to the young Peter Frederick Augustus of Oldenburg. These medals are a testament to the policies of the king who was shot dead at a masked ball in 1792.
05/17/2023
The Gunnar Ekström Collection
A successful example of the cooperation between collectors, museums, monetary history research and teaching as well as the coin trade, for the benefit of the numismatic cause - Preface to Catalog 387 with "Rarities of Swedish Numismatics from the Gunnar Ekström Collection" by Dr. Andreas Kaiser.
05/16/2023
Preview of our Summer Auction Sales 387-388
In June we will hold four auction sales. This preview is dedicated to the public auctions 387-388 from 20 to 22 June. Among other things, auction 387 includes Swedish rarities from the Ekström Collection, another part of the Popken Collection with lösers as well as a small series on Mecklenburg. Auction 388 covers German coins from 1800 to 1918.
03/14/2023
KÜNKER Exklusiv in English
For the past years we have been compiling interesting articles surrounding our auction sales, the coin trade and the numismatic world in general and have been publishing these in our “newspaper” – the “Künker Exklusiv”. We are happy to present to you here the first edition of the Künker Exklusiv in English!
With our large Spring Auction Sale just around the corner, and so many interesting articles surrounding topics like coin provenances we felt this is the right time to present these articles to an even wider audience and our English-speaking customers.
02/24/2023
Bloody Mary
On Friday, 24 March 2023, we will offer a gold medal that was minted for the wedding of Philip II of Spain and Mary of England. Their marriage could have turned world history in another direction had Mary given birth to an heir to the throne.
02/24/2023
Mainz and the 1742 Imperial Election – An Archbishop Caught Between the Fronts
1740: a magnificent medal of the Archbishop of Mainz stresses his steady political course. But then came 20 October 1740, triggering consequences at the European level that put Mainz in an extremely difficult position.
02/20/2023
What Actually Is the Deal With Provenances?
Those who study catalog 383 with the coins of the Roger Wolf Collection will notice that it is designed differently than our usual catalogs. Regarding many ancient coins, not only the piece itself is depicted but also the image of its first appearance on the market. In this way, we want to enable those who do not own an extensive library of auction catalogs to exactly understand where a piece came from.
02/15/2023
The Peak of the Roman Imperial Crisis
The Roman Emperor in captivity! Marauding tribes in the heart of Italy! And a quarter of the Roman Empire declaring independence under a usurper. The year 260 is considered the peak of the Roman Imperial Crisis. Coins tell of this terrible time.
02/10/2023
Preview of our Spring Auction Sales 382-386
As many as eleven special collections will be sold by us from 16 to 24 March 2023, including ancient and modern gold coins from the Wolf Collection, denarii of the Roman Republic from the Bauss Collection, Salzburg coins and medals from the Schedel Collection, bracteates from the Fleige Collection, Mainz coins from the Memmesheimer and Beaury Collections, and many more.
01/24/2023
Preview of our eLive Premium Auction 381: "The Dr. Eberhard Werther Collection"
On 7 February 2023, we will auction off on www.eLive-Auction.de the Dr. Eberhard Werther Collection with coins and medals of the German states from the Middle Ages to the 19th century as well as world coins. The focus is on Brunswick.
01/20/2023
The Second-Heaviest Coin of Classical Numismatics
On 2 February 2023, we will auction off the Stefan Widegren Collection in Berlin. It mainly contains Swedish gold coins. Moreover, there are some further great rarities made of other metals on offer – for example the second-largest historical coin in the world, a copper plate of 8 silver dalers with a weight of 14.6 kilograms.
01/12/2023
Why Did Johann von Gemmingen Mint His 1596 Coins?
On 18 November 1593, Johann Konrad von Gemmingen was elected Coadjutor of the Bishopric of Eichstätt. On 2 July 1595 he received the order of Episcopacy. But his coins minted as donativa bear the year 1596. We explain why.
01/12/2023
Stampfer and Zurich Talers
The Zurich goldsmith Jakob Stampfer revolutionized coin production – not only in Switzerland but in the whole known world of his time. A triple taler klippe of 1559, which will be offered by Künker on 2 February 2023, illustrates how he did it.
12/16/2022
Master and Servant: The 1528 Homage Taler
There are vanishingly few early modern coins that depict a peasant. The great exception is the so-called 1528 huldigungstaler (“homage taler”) of Habsburg Ferdinand I. We ask why, of all things, peasants feature so prominently on this representative coin.
12/02/2022
Preview of our Berlin Auction Sales - 730 Lots estimated at 6M Euros
Our auction sales on 2 February 2023 are auctions of superlatives. Special highlights: the Widegren Collection with Swedish coins and the second part of the Liska Collection with rare coins from Czechoslovakia, not to forget 100 rarities from the Salton Collection.
10/11/2022
Through the Eyes of a Historian - Notes on Coins of the Emerging Auctions 376-378
Our Fall Auction Sales 376-378 present an extremely attractive offer of aurei of the Roman Imperial period. Almost all of them are of great historical interest and reflect the history of the Roman Empire from Augustus to Carus. A few of them are only in average condition, but there are numerous top pieces that are hard to find and often of unique beauty. A chronologically ordered list will give an overview of the aurei distributed among several collections. You can find the list at the end of this article.
by Prof. Dr. Johannes Nollé
09/16/2022
Gate Tokens: Relics of Nuremberg’s History
Only on rare occasions can we link a numismatic object to a specific person. Regarding Nuremberg gate tokens, this is possible. We know whose hands touched them. Three of these tokens are on offer at our Fall Auction Sales. We tell their story.
09/15/2022
Gold pieces from Sissi's hand
On 26 September, we will sell two extremely rare gold medals as lots 804 and 805 in auction 373. They were minted by the Vienna Mint (mintmark A) in 1867 for the coronation of Emperor Franz Joseph I and his wife Elisabeth.
09/10/2022
Hesse, Elizabeth and the Reformation
The story of how much influence St. Elizabeth had even years after her death is quite a spectacular one to tell. With the help of the Loos Collection, which will be on sale at Künker in September, we will do just that: talking of a canonized landgravine, political intrigues, power-conscious women and the consequences of syphilis.
09/08/2022
Preview of our Fall Auction Sales 376-377
With several extensive collections on offer, our Fall Auction Sales contain favorite pieces of every collector of ancient coins. Whether you want to invest in rarities or are looking for an affordable Roman denarius: Künker’s Falls Auction Sales will provide you with great opportunities.
09/07/2022
The Verschoor Brothers
On September 27, 2022, we will be auctioning off the Verschoor brothers' collection in Auction 373. Dr. Andreas Kaiser has written an obituary for the two brothers.
08/30/2022
A Bonaparte on Holland’s Coins
On 27 September 2022, we will auction off the collection of the Verschoor brothers. It contains what’s probably one of the most important collections of coins from the Kingdom of Holland. Read about the fate of the short-lived kingdom and the numerous problems King Lodewijk had to deal with when introducing his new coins.
08/16/2022
Preview our Fall Auction Sales 372-375
What is your favorite field of collecting? Do you collect gold, ancient coins, medals, German issues, world coins or even orders? No matter what, you will find what your heart desires in our Fall Auction Sales. This is the preliminary report for the first four auctions from September 26 to 30, 2022, they cover coins and medals from medieval and modern times as well as orders and decorations.
06/10/2022
On National Heroes and Nationally Owned Enterprises
In 1975, Venezuela nationalized its oil industry – an important step in the long and eventful relationship between the country and its oil supplies. A gold coin commemorates the event. It is one of the rarest pieces of Venezuelan numismatics.
06/02/2022
Portugalesers: A Close Look at Brandenburg’s Gold Showpieces
Brandenburg’s portugalesers are among the greatest gold rarities of the Holy Roman Empire. We are able to offer as much as two of these rare pieces in auction 369. We take a close look at what these coins can tell us.
05/27/2022
An Unwilling Victor: Maurice of Saxony and the Schmalkaldic League
On 20 June 2022, we will auctioning the first part of the Dr. Walter Kemlein Collection “Saxonia in Nummis”. It includes a double taler depicting the leaders of the Schmalkaldic League, among them Maurice of Saxony, who would have preferred not to be seen in this context.
05/23/2022
Preview of our Summer Auction Sales 368-371
Saxonia in Nummis, the collection of the Berlin savings bank with rarities from Brandenburg-Prussia, gold coins from the Köhlmoos Collection and the Liska Collection with Czechoslovak gold coins – these are just a few of the private collections on offer at our Summer Auction Sales.
03/31/2022
The Last Coins of Independent Syracuse
The second part of our Spring Auction Sales is dedicated to antiquity: we present three specimens that are among the last coins that were issued by independent Syracuse while the Romans besieged the city and Archimedes built his defense machines.
03/11/2022
MONEY OF THE CELTS – The Flesche Collection (Preview of our Auctions 365-367)
The second part of our Spring Auction Sales is completely dedicated to antiquity. In addition to many collections of Greek, Roman Republican, Roman imperial and late Roman coinage, a collection with world-class Celtic coins will be on offer: the Flesche Collection.
03/11/2022
The Treasure at the End of the Rainbow
On 5 April 2022 we offer the Christian Flesche Collection, which is probably the most spectacular collection of Celtic coins that has entered the market in recent years. Of course, it also contains the mysterious rainbow cups.
03/04/2022
The Liberator: Augustus the Younger and His Bell Talers
On 21 March 2022, we will sell an important special collection of Welf issues. Among other things, it contains various types of the Brunswick glockentaler (bell talers). We explain what Augustus the Younger wanted to express by means of these coins.
02/24/2022
A Testimony to the Habsburgs’ Claim to Power: The Three Emperors Issue
There is an enigmatic coin that – without naming a specific ruler who commissioned it – symbolizes the Habsburgs’ claim to power: the so-called Three Emperors Issue. We offer two off-metal strikes in gold of this coin type as part of the sale of the Salton Collection on 22 March 2022. We summarize what is known about these mysterious pieces.
02/17/2022
Dr. Albrecht Ulrich - Portrait of a coin collector
Within the framework of our Spring Auction Sales from March 21st to April 6th 2022 we offer in Auction 363 among others the collection of Gothic gold coins of Dr Albrecht Ullrich. Dr Andreas Kaiser has dedicated a foreword to the passionate coin collector.
02/07/2022
Annemarie und Gerd Köhlmoos: Responsible Businesspeople – Passionate Collectors
Preface from Fritz Rudolf Künker to Auction 364
01/28/2022
Germany’s False Start: The Unsuccessful Imperial Election of 1849
The German Constitutional National Assembly at St Paul’s Church in Frankfurt was one of the greatest achievements of the German revolutions of 1848. On 28 March 1849, the assembly elected Frederick William IV as Emperor of a unified Germany. Too bad that he did not want to be German Emperor in the first place.
01/20/2022
We present the Collection of a Connoisseur
On 1 and 2 February 2022, we will hold our auction 360 as an eLive Premium Auction. It contains German coins and medals of top quality – with estimates from the two- to the four-digit range.On 1 and 2 February 2022, Künker will hold its auction 360 as an eLive Premium Auction. It contains German coins and medals of top quality – with estimates from the two- to the four-digit range.
01/13/2022
Why the Munich Marienplatz is called Marienplatz
Our cities have evolved through history, and every architectural detail is connected to this history. We explain why the Munich Schrannenplatz (Grain Market Square) was renamed Marienplatz (Mary’s Square), using coins that will be on offer at our 2022 January Auction Sales as illustrations.
01/06/2022
A Festival for St Wenceslas
St Wenceslas is the central motif on Czechoslovak commemorative coins. And there is a good reason for it: in 1929, 750,000 believers celebrated the 1000th anniversary of his death. A coin series issued between 1923 and 1936 – on offer at our january auctions on 26 January 2022 – demonstrates how important St Wenceslas was for young Czechoslovakia.
12/16/2021
Auction Preview 358-359
Our January Auction Sales 2022 will take place on Wednesday January 26th in Osnabrück. Several collections will be on offer, including the second Köhlmoos Collection of the usual legendary quality.
12/16/2021
Who Was Frederick the Wise?
We all think we know him: Frederick the Wise who hid Luther at Wartburg Castle to protect him from imperial reprisals. As part of the Köhlmoos Collection, we will offer some coins featuring his portrait on 26 January 2022 that help us look beyond the myth.
11/19/2021
Portrait of Alain Poinsignon
Fritz Rudolf Künker has written a portrait of his companion on the occasion of the auction of Alain Poinsignon's numismatic library.
11/19/2021
The numismatic library of Alain Poinsignon, Strasbourg
Introductory thoughts on the current significance of the book in numismatics by Detlev Hölscher.
11/16/2021
Coin Collecting – An immaterial cultural Inheritance: Private citizens, dealers and their commercial catalogues
The auction catalogues and fixed price lists form another (and at the same time the last) genre of numismatic literature in the library of Alain Poinsignon. Corresponding publications from the second half of the 19th century to about 1950, including isolated earlier lists, form the core of the collection to be auctioned here.
10/08/2021
Nudes at the Time of the French Third Republic
Medals reflect contemporary history, as demonstrated by the W. Risse Collection ‘Nuditas in nummis’. Johannes Nollé reveals the connection between the art of the 19th century and the plaques produced by French medallists from 1870 to 1940.
10/01/2021
eLive Premium 356 - Nude and Eros in Numismatics: The W. Risse Collection
In its eLive Premium Auction 356, Künker auctions off the W. Risse Collection with medals entitled “Nuditas in nummis – Nude and Eros in Numismatics”. The pieces cover the time span from the Renaissance to modern times.In its eLive Premium Auction 356, Künker auctions off the W. Risse Collection with medals entitled “Nuditas in nummis – Nude and Eros in Numismatics”. The pieces cover the time span from the Renaissance to modern times.
09/29/2021
eLive Premium Auction 355 - German Coins and Medals from a South German Private Collection
478 lots of mostly German coins of the 19th and 20th centuries of outstanding quality – that is the offer of Künker’s eLive Premium Auction 355 taking place on 12 October 2021 starting at 6 p.m.
09/15/2021
Prussian Switzerland
For more than a century, Prussian kings ruled over the Swiss Principality of Neuchâtel. By means of coins from the Axel Tesmer Collection, which will be on sale on 28 and 29 September 2021 in Osnabrück, this article explains how that came about and which coins commemorate this period.
08/31/2021
A New Currency for a New Japan
On 27 September 2021, an icon of Japanese coinage will be auctioned off as part of the Schwarz Collection offered by Künker: the 20 yen piece of 1870 of which only very few specimens were minted to be given to dignitaries of the imperial court. We tell its story.
08/31/2021
Heinrich Wilhelm von Werther: The Man Who Averted a War
Sometimes, a war can be prevented or provoked by a single diplomat: this is the story of Heinrich Wilhelm von Werther, who played a central role in preventing a Europe-wide war from breaking out in 1825. The French king presented him with a unique medal, which will be auctioned at Künker on 27 September 2021.
08/16/2021
The Fascination of Minted Gold (and Silver)
“The Fascination of Minted Gold” is the name Künker gave to the Hermann Schwarz Collection, which contains about 1,500 gold coins. And it is just one of many collections offered in Künker’s Fall Auction Sales: the material covers the entire spectrum from antiquity to Brandenburg-Prussia and Brunswick to modern times.
07/07/2021
The Top Ten of our Summer Auction 350
On the last day of auction 350 we celebrated the firm’s 50th anniversary. On this occasion we presented ourselves with an outstanding result of 8.3 million euros for 2,195 lots. Here you can find the Top Ten of the auction sale.
06/11/2021
Finally – Or: Duke Augustus Celebrates His Birthday
Lösers were more than representative coins. They played an essential role in court ceremonials that took place on special occasions. The löser rarities of the Friedrich Popken Collection, which will be auctioned off at Künker on 29 June 2021, illustrate this function.
06/04/2021
When Cologne Almost Became Calvinist
In 1582, the Archbishop of Cologne converted to the Reformed faith. Not for religious reasons but because he wanted to marry his beloved. This triggered a war. In its anniversary auction 350, Künker offers a 2 1/2 taler piece of this bishop.
05/28/2021
Politics, Religion and Divine Retribution: The Failed Ambitions of William II of Orange
In its anniversary auction sale 350, Künker offers a medal by Sebastian Dadler, which deals with the failed ambitions of the Stadtholder of the Netherlands: he would have liked for the Eighty Years’ War to go on for a bit longer.
05/27/2021
Künker’s 350th Auction: A Firework of Numismatics!
Two anniversaries at once: 1 July 2021 marks the 50th anniversary of the founding of Münzenhandlung Fritz Rudolf Künker. Additionally, Künker’s 350th auction will take place. That’s reason enough for a numismatic firework with many rarities!
04/05/2021
Our Spring Auction Sales 347-349
Thanks to 2,300 bidders from all over the world, the total of our last auction sale from March 21 to 26th 2021 resulted in almost twice its estimate. One reason for this success were outstanding collections. We present the top five from the Tesmer Collection of Brandenburg-Prussia and the top three from the extraordinary collection of Roman Alexandrian coinage.
03/05/2021
The Markstetten Coin Hoard: Witness to a Political Thriller in the High Middle Ages
On 18 June 2017, a coin hoard was discovered near Markstetten. It was probably buried around 1230 and is reminiscent of a dispute over the Regensburg episcopal see. We offer the entire hoard for sale on 25 March 2021.
02/25/2021
Joachim I: The Power-Conscious Elector Who Minted the First Brandenburg Taler
We are back in 1521: Luther stands in Worms and can do no other. Cortés brings down the Aztec Empire, Magellan dies during the first circumnavigation of the world. And the power-conscious elector of Brandenburg mints the first talers of Brandenburg history. Exactly 500 years after it was minted, we offer one specimen of the extremely rare talers on 23 March 2021. We tell its story.
02/19/2021
How Do We Even Know When The Battle at Marathon Took Place?
On 22 March 2021, we will be auctioning off an extensive collection of coins of Roman Alexandria. Among them are 14 specimens of the zodiac series of Antoninus Pius. These pieces tell us something about how we know when events took place in ancient history.
02/18/2021
Our Spring Auction Sales 347-349
From Roman Egypt to the Margraviate of Brandenburg
In our auctions 347 to 349, we present once again a wealth of private collections. Particularly remarkable is an important collection of coins from Roman Egypt as well as the first part of a collection of Brandenburg coinage. And that’s just the beginning.
01/15/2021
The last years in the life of Jacques-Antoine Dassier
On January 28, 2021, our auction presents a 10-ruble piece from 1757 whose die was created by the Genevan medalist Jacques-Antoine Dassier. But this is not the only special thing about it: A small collector’s hallmark proves it once belonged to the Hutten-Czapski collection.
01/14/2021
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Lösers in Death Rituals: The Funeral of John Frederick of Brunswick-Calenberg
On 28 January 2021 auction house Künker offers selected lösers from the Popken Collection. One of them gives us a clue as to what lösers may have been used for. We learn from a book that this coin was distributed as a gift of honour to the princely attendees of the funeral of John Frederick of Brunswick-Calenberg.
by Ursula Kampmann on behalf of Künker
01/07/2021
Gold From Coal and Stone: Ernst III of Holstein-Schauenburg
While others ruined themselves with enormous buildings, Ernst III was one of the beneficiaries of early absolutism. He supplied others with the material needed for construction and metalworking. On 28 January 2021, auction house Künker offers a 10fold ducat of this enterprising count.
01/07/2021
Künker Kicks off Its Golden Jubilee
Auction 346 is Künker’s spectacular start into the year of its 50th anniversary: the sale features 678 coins and medals as well as 43 orders including selected lösers of Brunswick-Lüneburg from the Friedrich Popken Collection.
10/23/2020
Numismatic Bookplates – a Wonderful Field of Collection
On 2 and 3 November 2020, auction house Künker in Osnabrück will auction off the library of coin dealer Alain Poinsignon. Just like every great library, it contains books that were previously owned by other numismatists and coin collectors. Bookplates tell this story. And we tell some stories about the bookplates.
10/09/2020
Rare as Well as Useful – Alain Poinsignon’s Numismatic Library
Künker’s auction 342 on 2 and 3 November 2020 will be a literature-only auction. The research library of French coin dealer Alain Poinsignon will be on offer. It contains important numismatic reference works that were published between the 19th and 21st centuries and cover a broad spectrum of subjects from antiquity to present times.
09/16/2020
Agrippina: Ruthless Murderess or Role Model?
Agrippina was the first empress to be depicted on coins during her lifetime. She was the sister, wife and mother of an emperor and was held in high regard by the Roman people. Despite this, there are few women in the history of the Roman Empire with as terrible a reputation as hers. But is that reputation justified? We investigate with the help of coins from our Auction 341.
09/09/2020
The Gold Standard: How and Why Gold Became the Most Important Metal For Coins
For centuries, silver was the preferred metal across the world when it came to coins and savings. In the 19th century, that changed. We’ll explain how and why, and illustrate what happened with the help of coins that will be coming under the hammer on 30 September and 1 October 2020 in the Künker Auction entitled ‘A Numismatic Gold Treasure’.
09/01/2020
The Hero of the Second War of American Independence
As part of our Auction 339, we offer a Congressional Gold Medal. This is no medal like any other, but the one President Madison handed personally to Alexander Macomb, the Hero of Plattsburgh. We are telling his story.
09/01/2020
Why Cambodia Became a French Protectorate.
A great deal of injustice was done when the European powers divided the world between them. This wasn’t just because the Europeans had superior weapons, but also because of the way they exploited local conflicts, as in the case of King Norodom I of Cambodia.
08/14/2020
Special Collections and a Gold Treasure at Künker
Want to invest in gold coins? Here’s your golden opportunity! An extensive batch of gold coins from the 19th and 20th centuries will be auctioned at Künker this fall. There will also be numerous special collections, featuring Carolingian coins and coins from Münster and Hesse, just to name a few.
06/12/2020
The French Second Republic and a Coin Contest
When the French people had chased away Citizen King Louis Philippe und founded the Second Republic, they were looking for new coin designs for their new republic. The most talented artists of the time submitted design proposals. Auction house Künker presents in its auction 337 on 25 June 2020 a series of these patterns.
06/11/2020
Our summer auctions: A Wealth of Special Collections
Künker is the go-to auction house for collectors who want to sell special collections. This fact is proven by auction 337. The following fields are represented by comprehensive collections: Bavaria, Schleswig-Holstein, Lippe, mining and yield issues as well as Russia.
05/29/2020
Johann Adolf of Schleswig-Holstein-Gottorf and His Portugalesers
Originally, later-born son Johann Adolf was supposed to become Bishop of Bremen and Lübeck, but when his two brothers died, he had to fight for the Duchy of Schleswig-Holstein. Minting portugalesers was part of the diplomatic game.Originally, later-born son Johann Adolf was supposed to become Bishop of Bremen and Lübeck, but when his two brothers died, he had to fight for the Duchy of Schleswig-Holstein. Minting portugalesers was part of the diplomatic game.
05/29/2020
Caught Between all Stools: Simon V of Lippe
From 22 to 26 June 2020, the Summer Auction Sales 337-338 take place in Osnabrück. In this article, we will introduce you to one of the pieces from the upcoming auctions: a guldengroschen of 1528, minted on behalf of Simon V of Lippe, who had just become count.
04/27/2020
We are here for you
With this message we would like to inform you that we are here for you.
03/27/2020
The coin market is stable - even in times of crisis
The Künker Spring Auction Sales took place in the middle of the height of the worldwide corona crisis and under constantly tightened security requirements. The concern was enormous: How would the collectors react? In brief: The mood was positive and participation was high overall. For the more than 6,500 lots, Künker realized over 10 million euros surpassing the estimate for the sales that had been set at around 6.7 million euros.
03/13/2020
Participate live via phone or register now for live-bidding
Dear bidders and coin enthusiasts,
Prepare yourself for your participation in our Spring Auction Sales 333-336, March 16 - 20, 2020.
Based on the current circumstances, we would like to point out that - in addition to personal participation - you have two other options for participating LIVE in our auctions:
02/26/2020
The Origin of the Bavarian Beer Purity Law
A regulation of the Bavarian dukes William IV and his brother Louis X is still quoted frequently today: the “Reinheitsgebot” – the beer purity law of 1516. We tell its story with the help of coins from the Special Collection Bavaria, which will be on sale on 18 March 2020 at Künker.
02/18/2020
Holy Citizens
On 18 March 2020, Künker’s auction No. 335 offers a special collection of medieval coins. It contains about 150 splendid bracteates. These Romanesque works of art take us back to a time when saints were regarded as fellow citizens willing to engage actively for the well-being of the community.
02/13/2020
Jewish and cosmopolitan - in memory of the Samel and Arluk family
Please read the history of the Samel and Arluk family who compiled one of the most important collections of jewish coins over decades. The collection will be auctioned off by the Künker auction house in Osnabrück on march 17th 2020.
02/13/2020
The Samel Collection of Jewish Coins and Medals
The catalogue of auction 334 contains one of the most important collections of Jewish coins which will be auctioned off by the Künker auction house in Osnabrück. The collection was compiled over decades by the Munich collector Josef Samel and his sister Angela Arluk (née Samel), who died in 2005 and 2015.
This coin collection covers the history of the Jewish people from the conquest of Judaeaby the Persians in the 6th century BC until the present day. However, the emphasis of the collection lies with ancient Jewish coinage.
02/11/2020
A Feast by Collectors for Collectors - our spring auction sales 2020
It is very rare to see so many special collections at once as in our auction week taking place from 16 to 20 March 2020. The highlight is obviously the Samel Collection of Jewish coins; however, this is just one of more than 10 important special collections.
01/28/2020
Special Collections in eLive Premium Auction 332
On 5 and 6 February 2020, an eLive Premium Auction will take place at Künker’s virtual auction room combining several collections: Lower Saxony, House of Habsburg and Goetz medals. Furthermore, the taler treasure of Betzenstein will be auctioned off.
01/15/2020
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Why the Middle Ages Were so Warlike
Künker’s Berlin Auction Sale 2020 offers an extremely rare chaise d’or of William III of Jülich struck between 1393 and 1402. It portrays the duke as a wise ruler. In fact, William was anything but that: When he came to power at the age of 13, he turned into somebody we would call a teenage bully nowadays.
01/08/2020
Napoleon’s Eternal Glory
There are very few power seekers of the past that are met with such great admiration in today’s world as Napoleon Bonaparte. One of the reasons for this phenomenon is his way of self-portrayal, which had far-reaching consequences in the field of numismatics. We tell the story of one of his gold medals, which is a very special one: It belonged to Napoleon himself.
01/08/2020
Vienna’s Salvator Medals
Among the wealth of interesting objects from the Holy Roman Empire offered by auction house Künker in its Berlin Auction on 30 January 2020, you can find a small series of so-called Salvator medals. Even though they are called medals, they actually should be classified as coins.
01/07/2020
Rarities for the World Money Fair
On the occasion of the World Money Fair, auction house Künker offers outstanding rarities from all over the world. Coins from the German States, the Holy Roman Empire and France are especially well represented. The highlight is the Prof Dr Rudolf Wiechert Collection o. a. featuring rarities from Brandenburg-Prussia.
12/04/2019
A Life’s Work of Royal Glory, Immortalized on Metal and Paper
Auction house Künker offers in its upcoming eLive Auction 58 precious and useful pieces of numismatic literature. The offer includes two editions of the most important work on the medals of the Sun King.
10/11/2019
The hunting pleasures of the Landgrave of Hesse-Darmstadt
Louis VIII, Landgrave of Hesse-Darmstadt, went down in history as the Hunting Landgrave [“Jagdlandgraf” in German]. Coins depicting his love of the chase are being auctioned off at Künker’s Auction 327 on 9 October 2019.Louis VIII, Landgrave of Hesse-Darmstadt, went down in history as the Hunting Landgrave [“Jagdlandgraf” in German]. Coins depicting his love of the chase are being auctioned off at Künker’s Auction 327 on 9 October 2019.
10/02/2019
A Medal Made by Dürer as the Official Gift of the City of Nuremberg for Charles V
On 9 October 2019, auction house Künker will be auctioning an object of major art-historical importance: The very Albrecht Dürer himself had been commissioned by the Nuremberg City Council to create the dies for medals that were to be officially handed to Charles V during his entry into the city in 1521.
09/22/2019
Counterfeited coins, or not counterfeited coins, that is the question
On 10 October 2019, a 6 pence piece will be sold at auction house Künker in Osnabrück that is of great interest from the point of view of constitutional law. The reason is that at the time of its minting it was not decided yet whether only the Crown was entitled to produce money in the United Kingdom or not.
09/13/2019
Empire
On 7 October 2019, auction house Künker will be auctioning a necklace and bracelet made from ancient coins, said to have been commissioned by the great general Napoleon Bonaparte for his younger sister Pauline. That would make sense: In Napoleon’s time, people loved anything that was reminiscent of antiquity.
06/13/2019
Venice, the Doges and the House of Mocenigo
The cover coin of the Künker catalog for auction 324 is a Venetian off-metal strike in gold weighing 12 zecchini of doge Alvise IV Mocenigo. He was the seventh and last doge of the Mocenigo family. Through the extensive Venice collection, which will be auctioned at Künker in June 2019, we will recount why the Mocenigo family produced so many doges.
05/31/2019
A long bridge for the benefit of all
On 27 September, 2012, the mayor of Berlin inaugurated the new Rathaus Bridge. It is already the sixth bridge in this historic location. An extremely rare gold medal commemorates the first stone bridge that was erected at the same place. On 27 June, 2019, the item is auctioned off at Künker in Osnabrück.
05/24/2019
What is a Swede doing in Poland?
On June 26, 2019, an extensive collection of Polish rarities will be auctioned at the Künker auction 323. Among them are coins of Sigismund III, who was King of Sweden and Poland simultaneously. We recount how a Swedish prince came to rule over the Poles.
03/22/2019
Alchemical Gold Coin Back in Weimar
In an official celebration, Ulrich Künker returned an unpublished specimen of the golden so-called “Alchemistentaler” to the Klassik Stiftung Weimar. The coin had been stolen in 1945. The auction house Künker bore all costs incurred in the restitution of the rare piece.
03/08/2019
The Fidelity of the Locrians
Künker piece used as an illustration of the standard reference work of Greek numismatics
02/28/2019
The first coronation of a German Emperor in Frankfurt
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.
02/28/2019
Making the case for the gold standard: The coins of Josef Wild
By means of hyperinflation, the German government transferred the cost of World War I onto its citizens. Josef Wild, a simple goldsmith from Nuremberg, tried to do something about it. He died in prison as a counterfeiter of coins
02/22/2019
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.
02/14/2019
Heinz Thormann - Portrait of a Numismatist
Habent sua fata nummi: Every coin has its own destiny. First, it changes hands amongst those who pay with it. Then, it finds a home in the collection of someone who (hopefully) appreciates the piece and its significance. Heinz Thormann treasured coins. If you want to find out more about this remarkable man, please read our portrait about him.
01/25/2019
A mint for Australia
Gold plays a key role in Australia. It helped the former penal colony to become a serious country. Thus, a pattern for the first Australian sovereign, which will be auctioned off by Künker on January 31, 2019, is not only a numismatic highlight, but also a high-level testimony to Australian history.
01/18/2019
The Girobank of Hamburg and its Portugalöser
On January 31st, 2019, auction house Künker will sell the Dr. Gerd Gustav Weiland Collection of gold coins from Hamburg. One highlight of this collection is the abundance of gorgeous Bankportugalöser. They are closely connected to a trade city’s struggle against currency manipulations and to the founding of Germany’s first Girobank.
01/18/2019
Adolf of Schwarzenberg – The Liberator of Raab
On March 29, 1598, Adolf of Schwarzenberg reconquered the fortress of Raab, taking it back from the Turks. The Emperor was thankful: He elevated the victorious military to Imperial Count and thus made the House of Schwarzenberg an important factor in the Habsburg Empire.
01/11/2019
Trinity Medal
On January 31, 2019, the famous Trinity Medal created by Hans Reinhart the Elder will be auctioned off at Künker. This is a true masterpiece of German Renaissance medal art.
12/20/2018
A Platinum Set from 1839 that Once Belonged to Great Prince Georgy Mikhailovich
Platinum coins rank among the great and most sought-after rarities of Russian numismatics. In their upcoming Berlin Auction, auction house Künker will offer a complete set of said rarities of exceptional condition, which once belonged to Georgy Mikhailovich, arguably the most famous collector of Russian coins.
09/14/2018
Cologne – the new Rome
Magnificent coins from Cologne show the city’s patron saints: the Three Magi and Saint Ursula with her companions. Rich in relics, Cologne became a new Rome. We are exploring how this wealth of saints came about.
09/14/2018
The Treaty of Hamburg
In 1701, the Treaty of Hamburg ended the dispute over Mecklenburg-Güstrow between Friedrich Wilhelm I and Adolf Friedrich II. And another dispute culminated in the medals minted to mark the treaty, namely the one between the mint-master and the warden of the Schwerin mint. We tell you the story.
09/14/2018
The great Queen Salote Tupou III
Modern coins rarely depict rulers as whole-body figures. There are good reasons why Queen Salote Tupou of Tonga is depicted that way. She was 1.91 m tall and therefore physically a “big” queen. And taking into consideration what she achieved for her country, one can also figuratively call her a big queen.
09/07/2018
The Treveri – the tribe which Trier was named after
On 8 October 2018, the first part of the Dr W. R. collection “Celtic world and Celtic money” will be liquidated in Künker auction 312. We use the ample material provided by the collection to present the history and the coins of the Celtic Treveri tribe.
08/31/2018
Peter Groch and Napoleon I in Kuenker's Fall Auction Sale
On Friday, 5th of October 2018 from 10.00 a.m. on, at Kuenker’s in Osnabrueck, Nobbenburger Straße 4a (for the first time at the company’s own premises!), with auction 311 there takes place indeed Kuenker’s already 20th phaleristic vendue with 1,440 lots. There are being offered orders of chivalry, decorations, medals and badges, miniatures and mounted medal groups, certificates and documents from Germany, Europe and all over the world, from the 18th century up to present time, among which again numerous, partly exceedingly rare treasures.
06/14/2018
Exceptional collection of patterns and mint errors from the Federal Republic of Germany
It is a collection that every German museum could be proud of, the collection of patterns and mint errors of the Federal Republic of Germany that Künker offers in auction 309. Following we present to you some of the rarest patterns and mint errors of Germany which can be found in the collection.
06/08/2018
The sad fate of Wilhelmine Amalia
Recte et constanter – uprightly and firmly, this is the motto under which the young 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 the upcoming auction sale 308 of the Osnabrück auction house Künker.
06/01/2018
When Oxford was the capital of England...
For a few years during the English civil war, Oxford acted as royal capitol. This article presents an extremely fine "triple unit" of Charles I from this period in time, which will be put to auction in the upcoming Künker auction on June 21st, 2018.
05/25/2018
Alexander Farnese – The man who almost kept the Netherlands in Spanish governance
When talking about the Eighty Years' War, one usually encounters names such as Egmont, the Duke of Alba and the Prince of Orange. Alexander Farnese, however, who almost preserved Spanish rule over the Netherlands, is less known. We are telling his story by means of coins of the Geneart collection which will be auctioned off at Künker on June 18th, 2018.
05/09/2018
Three important special collections in Künker's summer auctions
Four catalogues present the material of the Künker summer auctions from June 18-21, 2018. Among others, the auction will entail the Genaert collection with coins from the Spanish Netherlands, the Popken collection with coins from the House of Welf and the Gunther Wiegrebe collection with coins and medals from Lippe.
03/09/2018
Greek mercenaries in Persian service
In auction 304, the Osnabrück auction house Künker offers a series of early Persian coins showing portraits of kings and satraps, including four of the enigmatic tetradrachms of Athenian type with small portraits or Aramaic lettering. They are likely to have been produced under Persian orders for paying Greek mercenaries.
02/16/2018
The Coins of Medieval Mainz – the Dr. Adelheid und Dr. Michael Loos collection
On Wednesday, 21 March 2018, auction house Künker will auction off the Dr. Adelheid und Dr. Michael Loos collection of coins and medals from Mainz. This presents a great opportunity to tell the story of the city in medieval times based on the coins.
02/16/2018
Catherine the Great, Moscow and the Kremlin
An impressive gold medal of Catherine the Great, which will be auctioned off at the Künker Auction 306 on 23 March 2018, shows the magnificent view of a Moscow Kremlin Palace that never existed. Here is the explanation why.
02/05/2018
Saxony takes centre stage at the Künker eLive Auction
Saxonia in Numis is the title of auction 303 of the Osnabrück auction house Künker. It will be held as an eLive Premium Auction on 7 and 8 February 2018. If you collect Saxon coins and medals, you should not miss this auction. Saxonia in Numis is the title of auction 303 of the Osnabrück auction house Künker. It will be held as an eLive Premium Auction on 7 and 8 February 2018. If you collect Saxon coins and medals, you should not miss this auction.
01/22/2018
Bridges as a sign of the Russian-French friendship
On 1 February 2018, Künker will auction off a testimony to the French-Russian alliance of 1892 in its Berlin auction. It is a gold medal dedicated to the inauguration of the Trinity Bridge in Saint Petersburg. This bridge was built as a symbol of this alliance and it has the Pont Alexandre III in Paris as its counterpart.
01/17/2018
The martyrdom of St. Stephen
With the Professor Helmut Hahn collection, Künker will offer an exquisite collection of bracteates in his Berlin Auction on February 1, 2018. These high-medieval pfennigs are first-class works of art and provide an insight into the thought of the time, for instance, how the Christian majority saw their Jewish fellow citizens.
01/12/2018
Trade Coins of Frederick II
On occasion of the auction 250 featuring the Masuren collection on 2 July 2014, we published an article on the trading coins of Frederick II of Prussia. Since there is a 1765 bancotaler and a 1767 levantetaler in the Gunther Hahn collection, perhaps you would like to read this article again.
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.
01/12/2018
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.
12/15/2017
The 300th Künker Auction: A Highlight of the World Money Fair
The pre-sale estimate total for the 1,113 coins and medals to cross the block at the three Künker auctions on February 1, 2018 is 6.1 million euros. Besides precious rarities from all over the world, the material offered includes four top-class collections.
09/13/2017
Reformation jubilees – A journey through the centuries
Künker will auction a major collection of coins and medals related to the Reformation on September 27, 2017. Using this material, this article shows the extent to which politics of the past centuries used Luther and the Reformation jubilee for their own purposes.
09/06/2017
Between War and Peace: The Romanian commemorative coins of 1939
Gold coins minted right before the outbreak of World War II? Commemorative coins on the 100th anniversary of King Carol without a single reference to the ruler? You have to know the historical background to understand why Carol II had these coins commissioned in 1939.
09/01/2017
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Brandenburg and 200 years of Confessio Augustana
The scene Andreas Vestner has recorded on a silver medal produced by order of Karl Wilhelm Friedrich of Brandenburg-Ansbach is impressive to see: The Chancellor of Saxony is reading out the Augsburg Confession.
But why did the ‘Wild Margrave’ of all people commission this medal?
08/18/2017
„The Ottoman Collection Part 2“ in fall at Kuenker’s
On Friday, 29th of September 2017 from 2.00 p.m. on, at the Steigenberger Hotel Remarque in Osnabrueck, with auction 299 there takes place Kuenker’s 14th phaleristic vendue with more than 440 lots. There are being offered orders of chivalry, decorations, medals and badges, mounted medal and miniature groups, certificates and documents from Germany, Europe and all over the world, from the 17th century up to present time.
06/10/2017
The Reformation jubilee in Quedlinburg Abbey
On 29 June 2017, a very rare commemorative coin of the abbess of Quedlinburg will be put to auction at Künker sale 294. It is dedicated to the Reformation jubilee of 1617, but the question arises, where people got the idea to celebrate the jubilee in the first place.
06/03/2017
The coins of Maria Theresa
On 13 May 1717, roughly 300 years ago, Maria Theresa of Austria was born. Could there be a better reason to introduce the coins of Frederick II's arch enemy on the basis of a few lots from the upcoming Künker sale from 27 June to 29 June 2017?
05/19/2017
The foreword to the Werner Bröker Collection (1923-2016)
From an etymological perspective, reading, picking things up, and collecting are corresponding phenomena used to grasp the world’s order. In this sense, Werner Bröker always saw his passion for collecting stamps, documents from Westphalian Postal history, and coins as a way to better understand the world – and one’s own place in the world – to make that world accessible and, in both the material and the intellectual sense, to adopt it and thus to give meaning to and define one’s own identity.
05/19/2017
Bernhard Terletzki - Portrait of a Coin Collector
Bernhard Terletzki, who was born according to his mother’s wishes was in 1932 in Hamburg (it was intended that he should become a true citizen of Hamburg), has his actual roots in the small city of Wartenburg in the district of Allenstein, today called Barczewo, in the Southern part of the former East Prussia. He was only 12 years old when, at the end of the Second World War, he was forced to leave his beloved East Prussian home with his seriously ill mother and two younger siblings. The family found a new place to live in in Schleswig-Holstein. During this time of hardship for most Germans, the young Bernhard had to take on much responsibility; his father was only later able to return to the family. After attending preparatory secondary school, Bernhard Terletzki initially undertook a training program, in order to subsequently begin studies to become a foundry engineer. This professional course eventually took him to the industrial Ruhrgebiet region.
02/25/2017
Bonnie Prince Charles
An impressive gold medal that is being put to auction on 16 March 2017 with Künker conveys the official version of a story, we are more likely to know from folk songs, novels and the cinema: On 16 April 1746, Bonnie Prince Charles was defeated in the Battle of Culloden. An impressive gold medal that is being put to auction on 16 March 2017 with Künker conveys the official version of a story, we are more likely to know from folk songs, novels and the cinema: On 16 April 1746, Bonnie Prince Charles was defeated in the Battle of Culloden.
02/18/2017
The Turks at the gates of Vienna
Künker Auction 289 will offer the first part of the Ottoman Collection on March 14, 2017. This collection bespeaks the sometimes difficult relations between the Western World and the Ottomans. We are singling out one chapter: The quarrel about the legacy of Louis of Hungary and the first Siege of Vienna.
02/09/2017
Preview: More than 6,000 lots with an estimate of 7.1 million euros in Künker’s Spring Auctions
On March 13-17, 2017 Künker will hold its Spring Auctions. The entire numismatic spectrum will be covered. Furthermore, several specialized collections will be auctioned off. The collectors of medals in particular will find something of interest.
02/09/2017
Globalisation in Roman times: Trade with India
In the upcoming auction of Künker on 13 March 2017, several interesting aurei are going to be put to auction. They are Indian imitations of Roman gold coins, which bespeak the close trade relations between Rome and the Indian subcontinent.
01/21/2017
The lion from the north - triumphator in life as well as in death
On the occasion of Künker Auction 286 "Coins from the Swedish Possessions - The Ottar Ertzeid Collection", we present you an issue from 2014. On March 13, sale no. 247 of auction house Künker offered the Baums Collection featuring historical medals. The connoisseur discovered many historically interesting, artistically enchanting medals, like a piece that was created by Sebastian Dadler on the occasion of the funeral of Gustavus II Adolphus of Sweden at Riddarholm Church. The upcoming auction 286 contains a 4 ducat piece with was strucked according the Sebastian Dadlers's artwork.
01/20/2017
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.
01/14/2017
Bohemia and the House of Habsburg – a conflict-laden relationship
Habsburg coins having been minted in the Prague Mint is something we very much take for granted. In its Auction 285, to be held on 2 February 2017, the auction house Künker offers an entire series of these. But it was anything but ordained by God that Bohemia became subject to the rule of the House of Habsburg.
01/14/2017
The Hero of the Second War of American Independence
As part of its Berlin Auction 285, the auction house Künker offers a Congressional Gold Medal. This is no medal like any other, but the one President Madison handed personally to Alexander Macomb, the Hero of Plattsburgh. We are telling his story.
12/13/2016
Auction PreView: Künker offers the Ottar Ertzeid Collection with Coins from the Swedish Possessions
On the occasion of its Berlin Auction, Künker presents three auction catalogs: Catalog 285 with exquisite German and world coins, Catalog 286 with the Ottar Ertzeid Collection featuring coins from the Swedish Possessions, and Catalog 287 with the Toni Barth Collection with German coins since 1871.
10/15/2016
Napoleon tames the Saxon Steed
Napoleon was a master in the art of humiliation. Please find here a characteristic example of his mastership: The French Victoria is taming the Saxon Steed on a medal made from Saxon silver. The medal stems from the estate of the Bonaparte family and will be sold as part of the Preussag sale.
10/06/2016
Part 2 of the Preussag Collection will be auctioned off in London
On 1 November 2016 the second part of the Preussag collection will be auctioned off by London Coin Galleries in cooperation with Künker in Osnabrück. The material comprises 772 lots of mining coins, estimated at 630,000 GBP altogether.
10/06/2016
The Preussag Collection
The one-time “Preußische Bergwerks- und Hütten- Aktiengesellschaft”, later known as Preussag AG and today as TUI AG, was founded by the Prussian government in 1923 and united, as a public enterprise, the mining and metallurgical operations in the possession of the Prussian state (with the exception of the Ruhr district’s coal fields). Following the annexation of the Kingdom of Hannover in 1866 by the Kingdom of Prussia, the majority of the mining and metallurgical works in the mountainous Harz region which had been operated under the centuries-old Guelph mining tradition became possessions of the Prussian state.
09/17/2016
Colossus Mercurio – or: Hamburg and the Privilege of the Elbe
The city of Hamburg had a problem. All ships that intended to use its port and, in order to do so, went up the Elbe River, passed territories the Danish king made a claim to. He was not only King of Denmark but, being Duke of Schleswig and Holstein, also strongest power in the Lower Saxon Circle.
09/17/2016
Philip II of Pomerania and his coin dealer Philipp Hainhofer
Around 1600, coin collecting was “the” leisure activity of the intellectual elite. The emperor himself was an avid collector. He was imitated by many noblemen among them Philip II of Pomerania, who put together a great art collection in cooperation with Philipp Hainhofer.
09/02/2016
The age of alchemy
There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, than are dreamt of in your philosophy. Hamlet, Act 1, Scene 5
Don’t think only confirmed fools believed in the wonders of alchemy! On the contrary. The smartest men of the early modern period kept themselves busy with the queen of the sciences, the doctrines of separating and combining, of cleaning and mixing, of the philosopher’s stone and the elixir of eternal life.
08/27/2016
Assassins of Caesar
Coins featuring the portrait of Brutus are extremely rare. Coin portraits of Cassius, even more so. Thus far, there is only one known coin type which probably depicts the staunch Republican. In the forthcoming Künker Fall Auction 280, you can come face to face with both assassins of Caesar.
06/06/2016
Of willows, palm trees and cedars – A brief numismatic dendrology
On June 23, 2016, Künker is going to auction off a so far unpublished willow tree coin. The reverse of the 10-ducat piece depicts a willow tree in a storm. But what did the minting authority, William V, wish to express here? And what do trees on coins signify anyway?
05/11/2016
The die cutting czarina
“Made by Maria” can be read in Russian on the reverse of a medal, which will be auctioned off on June 21st, 2016 at Künker. It is remarkable, that a woman created these dies, and the story gets even more interesting, knowing that this die cutter was a Russian czarina.
03/07/2016
Sextus Pompey: Ruler of Sicily
No other period of the Roman Republic generated more innovative imagery than the civil war between Octavian, Marc Anthony and Sextus Pompey. During the upcoming Künker Fall Auctions of 2016 a splendid testimony to this thesis will be auctioned off. Sextus Pompey created an aureus referring to his father, Pompey the Great and his brother, Gnaeus Pompeius.
02/29/2016
Gold from Goldkronach
For centuries the mines of Goldkronach were extremely profitable. But then their abundance ebbed away. The Bavarian Kings were not willing to accept that and planned huge investments. A coin will tell you, what happened then.
01/26/2016
German cutting edge technology in the Chinese Empire
On February 6th, 2016, 42 Chinese coin dies and 36 punches from the holdings of Otto Beh’s company will be handed over to the state coin cabinet of Saxony-Anhalt. They attest to an exciting chapter of German history of technology.
01/15/2016
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.
01/15/2016
Union et Force: A coin of the French Republic, minted under Napoleon
On February 4th, 2016, Künker will offer a French 5 franc gold pattern of year 10 for sale. The type can be traced back to the French Directory and it was only changed when Napoleon was certain of his power.
01/07/2016
George Gustav of Pfalz-Veldenz
On February 4th, 2016, Künker Auction House, during its Berlin auction, will offer an extensive series of pre-1871 German rarities. Among them, there will be an extremely rare taler of the count of Veldenz.
10/09/2015
The Julius löser
The oldest löser date back to the year 1574. They are fascinating specimens. Responsible for the coinage is Julius of Brunswick-Lüneburg (1568-1589). He was an exceptional figure in the 16th century. Suffering from a walking disability and once destined to become a priest, he took over his father’s territory due to the death of his older brother.
10/09/2015
Slave trade, gold, and sugar: The Elector of Brandenburg as entrepreneur
In cooperation with London Coin Galleries, auction house Künker presents a part of the former Preussag collection at its auction on 30 October 2015. Some of the objects provide unique insights into how noble metals were mined and traded. A medal, minted on behalf of the great Elector Frederick William of Brandenburg himself, remembers the means that were devised to fuel the realm’s economy. The regent of Prussia ordered the founding of a trading colony for the purpose of acquiring slaves, ivory, and gold.
09/14/2015
Blood money
Blodsklippingar or blood klippe is the Swedish numismatic term for coins that tell the story of one of the darkest periods of Swedish history: the drama of fraternal feud and a revolt, of great love and courageous women, of insanity, passion and lust for power – simply put, topics, numismatics is normally about
09/14/2015
The royal wedding of Kulmbach
To regard coins of the early modern period merely as currency completely overlooks an important fact: their role as courtly representations of the renaissance ruler.
07/24/2015
Petition for the preservation of private collecting
As you have probably already heard through the daily press, the German Minister of State for Culture and Media, Monika Grütters, is preparing an amendment to the Act to Protect Cultural Property Against Removal in Germany. This proposed law is very controversial, not only because of its content, but also because of the very one-sided debate which has accompanied the legislative process. Although the concerns of the trade and the collectors were heard, their relevant arguments have not at all been taken into account considering the proposed law.
05/29/2015
Prussian Spirit in Tsarist Russia
Peter III had ruled Russia for just six months. For this reason virtually all of his coins are rare. Künker will offer a very rare 10 rouble piece of that ruler in his sale 264 on June 25. It depicts Peter Prussian-style.
05/21/2015
Hamburg Bankportugalöser
To keep and protect things after they are acquired is no less a virtue than to acquire them in various ways
On June 24, 2015, Künker auctions a small series of portugalöser from the city of Hamburg. They are strongly associated with both the fight of a Hanseatic city against currency manipulations and the founding of the first Giro bank in Germany.
05/21/2015
Pattern of 5 DM “Germanisches Museum”
As part of Auction 292, Lot 8133 contains a die of the reverse pattern of the first commemorative coin of the Federal Republic of Germany “Germanic Museum”. On the occasion of Auction 264, conducted on June 25, 2015, we did some research on the history of this pattern of which we offered a specimen at that auction.
02/25/2015
How Malta came under the British Flag
On Thursday, 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.
02/23/2015
The Punic Goddess
On Friday, March 13, 2015, Künker auctions off a Siculo-Punic coin with an enigmatic depiction: on the obverse we see a beautiful woman with a Phrygian cap. Is it Dido? Is it Tanit? Or is it perhaps a completely different goddess?
01/30/2015
Results of our Berlin Auction 2015
One highlight of the World Money Fair, which opens its doors in our capital today, ended yesterday evening: our 10th Berlin Auction provided an array of exciting numismatic moments. The yields from the individual items are truly impressive.
01/12/2015
The Polish Adventure of Augustus the Strong
In 1694 Frederick Augustus I ascended the throne as Elector of Saxony, when his brother Johann Georg IV died surprisingly after reigning for only three years. Augustus the Strong, as he liked to call himself, was well educated for the tasks which awaited him. He had benefited from outstanding teachers, had traveled the world for three years with his eyes wide open, and had even proven himself as a military commander.
01/07/2015
Great Britain’s 5 Guineas
Anyone who, during the 60s decade of the previous century, took part in one of the larger English horse auctions may have been surprised to learn that calculations there were still made in guineas, in spite of the fact that the last British guinea had been minted in1813. Nonetheless this denomination stood, like no other, for the aristocratic attitude towards life in Great Britain as the nation grew into its role as administrator of a worldwide empire.
01/07/2015
The first Gold Coins in the United States
Carolina, Georgia, California – A great many people were lured by the prospect of easy riches in the gold fields to set out for the unknown. Consequently, the Gold Rush has become one of the seminal myths of the United States of America. In its Berlin auction Künker offers a range of numismatic testimony to this eventful era.
10/28/2014
Excellent Results for coins from Great Britain and – of course – from Russia
It took Künker in Osnabrück six days to sell all the 9,451 lots of their auctions 253 to 257 featuring coins, medals, banknotes, coin scales and much more. The total estimate of 7.9 million euros rose to 11.4 million euros total hammer price. 3,200 bidders participated in this event, either in person, by placing the bid by letter, telephone and via the internet. They all made sure that every rarity was recognized as such. This is the only explanation for the fact that an unimpressive Russian decoration presented to officers having participated at the Capture of Ismail on December 11, 1790 – which was not even an original but a restrike made in the 19th century – rose from 5,000 euros to 100,000 euros in the end. One thing is for sure: collectors are the experts when it comes to acknowledging the rarity of a specimen.
10/11/2014
Results of our Fall Auction Sale 2014
Another exciting auction-week came to an end on Friday evening with our sale of ancient coins. With an over all hammer price of 11.4 Mio € the Künker Fall Auction 2014 went nearly 50 % over the estimated price (7.9 Mio €).
We are very grateful for over 3.200 bidders that took part in the auction, of whom over 400 were present in the auction room. Because of this incredible participation, the collection of English coins