September 14, 2024, marks the first auction in a series of sales that will feature one of the most valuable coin collections ever accumulated. The owner of the collection, Lars E. Bruun, died just over one hundred years ago but it wasn’t until recently that his descendants decided to put it up for sale. The reason is quite extraordinary: Bruun’s will banned any coin sales for exactly 100 years after his death. The man had seen the devastation of World War I and left his collection as an emergency reserve for Denmark’s treasury. The magnate passed away 101 years ago and it seems like Denmark is doing quite well financially. The national coin collection hasn’t been touched by robbers or ravages of war and so, it seems like a good time to put those coins to use.
A 17th century Norwegian silver coin commemorating King Frederik
The total number of coins is about 20,000, but the first auction will feature just a little less than 300 lots. There have been cited various estimates of their overall value. The rough calculations show figures between 10 and 15 million US dollars. Stack’s Bowers, the house that handles the auction leans towards the figure of 14.5 million dollars, which is quite a reasonable estimate given just how valuable some of the lots are.
A 15th century gold coin featuring a Danish king Hans
The most expensive coin ($333,000 to $662,000) that will go under the mallet this time is a Scandinavian noble featuring the great King Hans made at the end of the 15th century. He was a ruler who presided over Norway and Denmark at that time and got commemorated on the first gold coin ever made by the Danish. Apart from this gold coin, there will be many worthy specimens for numismatics worldwide, including some old Swedish, Norwegian, and Danish coins. But hey, we don’t want to spoil the surprise and tell you all the details you could find out at the pre-auction display or at the first round of sales!
Apart from the coins, the magnate Bruun collected medals and notes. The millionaire was quite secretive, which is why only a trusted circle of friends knew the exact location of his treasures. And knowing human nature, we can’t blame him for being too cautious. After all, what would you have done with a unique and vast collection of coins from different countries and eras? And would you appreciate it even more with the kind of background Bruun had? Having initially started his business on a loan, he managed to accumulate unfathomable riches in a matter of six decades. This man truly knew the value of money and the things it represents and gives potential to. On long winter evenings, he would sit in his rocking chair by the fire studying the collected coins and their symbolism. We have to admit that the kind of numismatic collection Bruun amassed took passion and this man truly had it.
