Archive – Austria
The Year of the Freigeld in Wörgl
Who knows Wörgl nowadays? Yet for a short period of time the entire world looked at this small town. In 1932/3, one of the most successful ... [ more ]
The Coronation Regalia of the Holy Roman Empire
Since 1424, the so-called Heiltumsweisung (Festival of Relics) was held each year in Nuremberg. On that occasion, the Imperial Regalia were taken out of the treasure chamber and presented to ... [ more ]
The house of Hohenems and his bishops
The masters of Hohenems owed their rise to become the most important noble family in Vorarlberg to their loyalty to the House of Habsburg. Two family members ...
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The House of Hohenems and its bishops
2. Wolf Dietrich of Raitenau
In 1558, Helena, the sister of Cardinal and Bishop of Constance Marcus Sitticus of Hohenems, married Hans Werner III of Raitenau. On March 26th, 1559, at the Hofen Castle near Bregenz, she presented ...
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The House of Hohenems and its bishops
On March 7th, 1612, Wolf Dietrich von Raitenau officially resigned before the papal nuncio. In an unfortunate fight against Bavaria he had lost rule and liberty. With his resignation ... [ more ]
The Battle of Lepanto
The famous battle of Lepanto, the great victory of Christianity over the Turks, has been celebrated as one of the major events of world history, even though it did not change the course of history. Find more information on its significance and its representation on a Papal bronze medal...
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The minters’ pilgrimage
How the mint workers in Vienna were saved from the plague epidemic of 1679...
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What is left of the man who invented the taler
The city of Hall is always worth a visit, not only because of its interesting museum on minting technology in the mint tower. Near the parish church, too, a numismatic treasure can be found... [ more ]
Between Germany and France: A story about the fortress of Philippsburg
On June 20, 2011, Künker’s will auction a thaler of Christoph of Soetern of utmost rarity struck in honor of Udenheim. The coin was issued just after the fortress had been completed, only some weeks before it was renamed in Philippsburg. Here’s the story about the man, the coin and the fortress... [ more ]
Between Prussia and Austria – The Vienna Coinage Contract
Künker offers a comprehensive selection of coins of Emperor Franz Joseph on September 28, 2011 in sale 195. This is a splendid opportunity to recall the impact of the Vienna Coinage Contract of 1857 on the Austrian currency... [ more ]
The Order of the Golden Fleece
Countless coins from the Holy Roman Empire show something many catalogs briefly address as “neck chain” of the Order of the Golden Fleece. This article will explain, when and where this chivalric order originated and why it became the most important order of knights all over the Old World... [ more ]
Message in a bottle
In 1967 workers of the Austrian Mint found a message in a bottle bricked in a wall. Colleagues who worked in the same building around the turn of the century had left the message in order to inform posterity about their awkward situation. [ more ]
The Counts of Montfort and their Coinage
The last reigning count of Montfort sold his county to the Austrians and retired on a pension. Thus ended a secular history of his family which coin collectors might know particularly as producer of fake and imitative coins. [ more ]
A Hat fit for a Prince
The Crown of an Austrian Archduke
The second 100 Euro coin in the gold series “Crowns of the House of Habsburg” will be released on Wednesday, 4th November. It is dedicated to the so-called “Archduke’s Hat”, a name derived from ...
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The Coin Cabinet in Schloss Eggenberg
In Graz, there is a very special numismatic treasure, the coin collection of Archduke Johann, which was handed over to the Universalmuseum Joanneum in 1811... [ more ]
«...a lack of appeal...» - Gustav Klimt and the Central Bank
The Austrian National Bank will stage an exhibition between June 15, 2010 and January 28, 2011 featuring an art historical sensation: Gustav Klimt and Franz Matsch had been entrusted with creating the designs of bank notes. These will be shown to the public for the very first time. [ more ]
Klimt And His Women Told By Coins
The Austrian Mint is going to issue a new 5 part gold coin series celebrating the Austrian art nouveau artist Gustav Klimt. Each coin is dedicated to one of his finest and most famous works. The first coin shows his first portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer. [ more ]
‘The eternal cycle’ – a 200 year old view on economy
The Austrian museums are proposing 100 objects in a large-scale publicity campaign. We do not want to keep you from seeing how a painter saw the economic cycle 200 years ago. [ more ]
Automobile of Sarajevo
The Austrian museums are proposing 100 objects in a large-scale publicity campaign. Some of them might attract especially those interested in history like this automobile in which heir to the throne Francis Ferdinand was shot in Sarajevo in 1914. [ more ]
Innovations in the land of silver – A congress in Hall / Tyrol
Tyrol remembers you of nothing else than skiing? Shame on you! You would miss the region’s importance in world’s history since here money history was written – from the first high denomination silver coin to the mechanization of the whole coining process. The Hall Mint held a congress on that topic on October 12, 2012. [ more ]
A trip to Hall in Tyrol
Did we whet your appetite last week for a trip to the Hall museum of the Hall Mint? Well, here comes a second serving, some photo impressions from the thaler’s home. [ more ]