Archive – Italy
A King at a pinch – the stolen coin collection of Victor Emmanuel III of Italy
A King dealing in coins – that sounds preposterous? Well, in 1944 the satirical magazine “Nebelspalter” published a caricature of the same tenor which was understood throughout Europe. Victor Emmanuel’s passion for coins was proverbial. He is said to have collected 120,000 pieces as the foundation of the most important publication of Italian coinage, the CNI, whose first volume was published exactly 100 years ago... [ more ]
From Pavia to the Sack of Rome – siege coins in Italy
Why was it that Renaissance rulers went to Italy to seek good fortune? Why was it that thousands of ducats and thaler were spent on mercenary soldiers? This article gives an insight into the war between Francis I of France and Charles V of Italy... [ more ]
200 years of service for the Popes – Hamerani, the dynasty of medallists
A Bavarian goldsmith had to flee from Munich. Who would have thought that he was to become the ancestor of one of the most important dynasty of Italian medallists? [ more ]
Coins in the fountain well: Trevi Fountain in Rome
Do you know actually, who invented the fashion to throw a coin into the Trevi Fountain in Rome in order to return to the Eternal City? If you do not, you will find the answer within this article... [ more ]
Striking Coins in Florence
Since September 17, 2011 visitors can see a marvelous exhibition at Palazzo Strozzi in Florence. It is named Money and Beauty and is dedicated to the link between early modern banking and art. On exhibit is not only art, but documents, numismatists dream of like a book in which those responsible of striking coins have noted their decisions on the design... [ more ]
Money supply the Italian way
On June 20, 2012 in Schaffhausen an exhibition was opened in occasion of 25 years Sturzenegger Foundation. In these years the numismatic department too has received many important acquisitions as for instance a fraudulent imitation of Schaffhausen coins initiated by Prince Siro of Austria at Correggio. [ more ]
The sorrowful life of the Ottoman Prince Cem
The life of Prince Cem – the youngest son of Mehmed II – was no fortunate life at all. Even dead he was not granted peace: they demanded 5,000 ducats for the prince’s body. [ more ]
A Numismatic Relic from the Piedmont Civil War
On November 28, 2012, a very special coin goes on the market at Numismatica Genevensis. The coin in question, estimated at 150,000 francs, is a gold coin in the value of 10 écus whose front depicts the young Prince Charles-Emanuel II of Savoy as well as the stern face of his mother. The following will provide you with a bit more detail as to the background of this rare specimen. [ more ]
How Saint Mark came to Venice
From March 11 to 15, 2013, the collection of Dr Eduardo Curti will be liquidated. It contains numismatic rarities from medieval times, from the Migration Period until the Hundred Years’ War. Some of the most spectacular coins are from Venice, which, at the beginning of the 9th century, had absolutely no interest in becoming part of the Carolingian Empire. [ more ]
Italy celebrates itself and its money
An exhibition to mark the state’s 150th anniversary was opened by President Giorgio Napolitano on the 4th of April. It shows the evolution of the Italian money from Italy’s founding until today... [ more ]
Faces – Masterpieces of Italian Portraiture
The Gemäldegalerie and the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York have undertaken a landmark project tracing the development of the Italian portrait in the fifteenth century. The exhibition starts in Berlin on August 25, 2011. Later it will be shown in the Metropolitan... [ more ]
Money and beauty – an impressive exhibition in Florence
From 17 September 2011 to 22 January 2012 a rich exhibition at Palazzo Strozzi, Florence, explores the links between that unique interweave of high finance, economy and art, and the religious and political upheavals of the Renaissance. Don’t miss this! Here you will spot pictures of some sources about numismatics you never have seen before, for example the Secret Account Book of the Medici Bank... [ more ]
Help for Emilia-Romagna!
On May 20, 2012 the Italian region Emilia-Romagna was surprisingly hit by an earthquake whose epicentre was located nearby Modena registering 5.9 on the Richter scale. Help those who lost everything! [ more ]