The Latin Monetary Union (LMU) was a 19th century attempt at creating a European monetary union. It took advantage of the fact that more and more European countries were adopting…
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The fall of the Iron Curtain brought significant amounts of Eastern Bloc firearms, ammunition, and other surplus equipment to the Western world. Much of it was seen for the first…
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Most circulating silver coinage throughout history was minted to relatively high standards, whether .800, .835, .900, or .925. Even when silver coins were debased they still were minted to a…
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While the 8x57mm Mauser may not have been a Mauser development, the Mauser factory took the case that resulted and developed an entire line of incredibly popular military and sporting…
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Austria-Hungary was one of the last countries in Europe to adopt the gold standard, officially adopting the gold standard in 1892. Its Maria Theresa silver thaler was one of the…
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The late 19th century saw the development of numerous small-bore rifle cartridges. The first smokeless cartridges, such as 8mm Lebel and 8x57mm Mauser, saw a significant decrease in bullet size…
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The 1980s saw a slew of new gold and silver coins developed, with one of the most popular coin series, the American Silver Eagle and American Gold Eagle, first produced…
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The 1986 Miami FBI shootout left an indelible mark on the psyche of police officers in the United States. They came to the realization that revolvers and 9mm pistols were…
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If anyone today is familiar with the ducat, it’s likely through reading novels from the 19th century or Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice. The ducat, once a common gold or…
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While many rifle cartridges have come and gone over the years, some of them just keep hanging on no matter what. That’s certainly the case for one of the best…