Three important special collections in Künker's summer auctions
09. May 2018 13:57
As every year, Künker will present its summer auctions before the summer break. This time, there are four catalogues with 4,577 lots estimated at 5.7 m. euros. Three special collections will be sold. The first lots of auction 307 stem from the Genaert collection featuring coins from the Spanish Netherlands. Auction 308 will entail coins and medals of the House of Welf from the Friedrich Popken collection. The next auction 309 offers the Gunther Wiegrebe collection with coins from Lippe.
Collectors will also find a great variety of coins and medals from the German States, Germany after 1871 and world coins. Catalogue 310 offers a large series of modern Chinese coins and Russian coins as well as world Gold coins and medals.
Auction 307: The Genaert collection - Foreign coins and medals
Künker likes to describe itself as "The house of minted history". The extensive Genaert collection, which concentrates on coins from the Spanish Netherlands, illustrates just what that means.
With almost 1,000 lots, the collector has documented the history of this rich but torn land which is nowadays divided between Belgium, Luxemburg, France and Germany. The temporal spectrum reaches from the Celtic antiquity to the French Revolution. The richness of the material will even surprise those who know that Brabant and Flanders were economic centres of Europe at the time.
We will encounter all important cities and princes from Brabant, Flanders, the Hainaut and the surrounding territories. From Charles the Bold to Maria Theresa, from the most precious gold coins of the Hundred Year's War to the siege money of the Eighty Years' War. Estimates range from 50 euros to 10,000 euros.
Coins from foreign countries
The second part of this sale will be world coins and medals featuring great rarities. There are some great treasures from Poland and Transylvania, for instance, a very fine reichstaler from Bromberg 1627 of King Sigismund III from Poland. The obverse shows the king's crowned monogram in a laurel wreath. (No. 1186, estimate: 35,000 euros). Another interesting lot is a hexagonal reichstaler klippe from Transylvania by Michael Apafi from the year 1663 (No. 1267, estimate: 30,000 euros).
Let us go to the overseas territories: We will see a reales de a ocho from 1758. The coin, which was minted under Ferdinando VI in today's Chilean Santiago, is remarkable because it is an exceptionally well-preserved specimen that shows the entire die on the planchet. (No. 1272, estimate: 25,000 euros).
The catalogue ends with about 100 lots of coins and medals from the house of Habsburg. If you are interested in this subject, you can look forward to numerous highlights, like the first guldiner from 1486 in almost extremely fine (No. 1289, estimate: 15,000 euros), a perfect convention taler from 1790 in FDC (No. 1351, estimate: 15,000 euros) an a rare commemorative coin by Franz Joseph on occasion of the opening of the Carl-Ludwig-house on the Raxalpe from 1877 (No. 1364, estimate: 7,500 euros).
Auction 308: Coins and medals from the House of Welf from the Friedrich Popken collection - German coins and medals from the Middle Ages and the Early Modern Era
461 lots with coins and medals from the House of Welf from the Friedrich Popken collection kick off auction 308. Many coin enthusiasts will be familiar with this collector's name. His name stands for high quality combined with a great love for history. Consequently, this part of the collection also provides an overview of the fortune of the House of Welf, a ruling dynasty that influences British and German history even today.
The temporal span of the auction ranges from the High Middle Ages until the death of William in the year 1884, when the Prussians made sure, that the emperor's brother would rule the rich territory henceforth.
There are a lot of numismatic highlights like a “Pfaffenfeind” gold gulden from Lippstadt 1622 in very fine (No. 2076, estimate: 15,000 euros), a reichstaler from 1702, almost FDC, featuring the famous physical experiment of Otto of Guericke (No. 2127, estimate: 10,000 euros), a double reichstaler minted in Zellerfeld 1641 on occasion of the demise of George, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg (No. 2306, estimate: 20,000 euros) or a wonderful, perfectly preserved gold medal at 50 ducats for the widowed Wilhelmine Amalia.
Coins and medals from the German States
The afternoon of June 19 is devoted to coins and medals from the German States. Künker certainly has a lot of rarities to offer. One series of rare talers is especially beautiful. Among others, there are talers from Bremen from the year 1602 (No. 2762, estimate: 15,000 euros), Erfurt from the year 1633 with a view of the city (No. 2779, estimate: 10,000 euros), Freiburg no date on occasion of the Treaty of Rastatt in the year 1714 (No. 2789, estimate: 10,000 euros), Henneberg from 1696 from the yield of the Ilmenau mine (No. 2812, estimate: 15,000 euros), Öttingen from the year 1624 (No. 2954, estimate: 10,000 euros), Albrecht von Wallenstein from the year 1627 (No. 3187, estimate: 15,000 euros) and Württemberg from the year 1631 (No. 3210, estimate: 12,500 euros).
You will find a large selection of double and triple talers: A double reichstaler from Halberstadt 1663 (No. 2799, estimate: 10,000) with only two known specimens, a double Hesse wilhelmstaler from 1789 from Kassel (No. 2812, estimate: 12,500 euros), a whole series of unique and extremely rare double and triple talers by Philip II, Duke of Pomerania from the year 1613 and 1617 (No. 2977-279, estimates: 30,000 / 15,000 / 10,000 euros) and last but not least a double reichstaler 1663 from the County of Regenstein (No. 3022, estimate: 17,500 euros).
The most expensive piece from the German States is a double convention taler from Saxony 1780, which was meant as a token of diligence. Only 20 specimens were minted (No. 3062, estimate: 35,000 euros).
No. 2762: Bremen. Reichstaler 1602. Very rare. Extremely fine. Estimate: 15,000 euros
Auction 309: The Gunther Wiegrebe collection: Coins and medals from the counts and princes of Lippe / German coins from 1871
Gunther Wiegrebe came from Barntrup, a city with 9,000 inhabitants in the district of Lippe. The district arose from the former principality and it still has a special administrative position to this day. The people of Lippe are said to have a great sense of tradition. Therefore it is not surprising that Gunther Wiegrebe decided to continue his father's coin collection with coins from Lippe. The small collection turned into a big one. It will be auctioned at Künker’s on June 20, 2018.
The largest part of the collection consists of coins and medals from the count or the prince of Lippe. The temporal spectrum reaches from the medieval coins of Hermann II (1197-1229) to the end of World War I. Everyone is welcome to bid. Estimates begin as low as 50 euros.
Great rarities will certainly call for larger sums. One very rare, very fine 2/3 taler dated 1683 for instance is estimated at 5,000 euros, just like a very rare ducat from Detmold 1711 in extremely fine. It was minted by Friedrich Adolf (1697-1718), who also minted the two most expensive lots of the collection, an octagonal 1 1/4 reichtalerklippe from 1715 in extremely fine and a reichstaler from 1716 with a marvellous portrait also extremely fine. Both coins are estimated at 6,000 euros.
German coins since 1871
An extensive part of the Wiegrebe collection is devoted to the German States and coins from the German Empire. With that we have already arrived at the second part of the catalogue, which features German coins minted after the Founding of the German Empire in 1871. Be it silver or gold, there are numerous rarities in splendid condition, like a Bavarian golden wedding from 1918 (estimate: 30,000 euros) and Frederick the Wise (50,000 euros).
Auction 310: Chinese coins / Gold world coins / Russian coins and medals
The last day of the auction starts with a series of modern Chinese coins. Experts will discover numerous rare coins which were only minted in small mintages, like the set of five 100 yuan coins from 1992 "Inventions and discoveries of the ancient world" with a mintage of 1,000 specimens (No. 6027, estimate: 15,000 euros) or another 100 yuan coin from 1995, of which only 1,000 were minted, that shows the Six Harmonies Pagoda in Hangzhou on the reverse (No. 6044, estimate: 7,500 euros).
The section gold world coins features s a lot of treasures. One outstanding coin is the almost extremely fine triple unite of the English king Charles I, minted in 1644 in Oxford (No. 6144, estimate: 50,000 euros).
Collectors of the Casa Savoia can look forward to a wonderfully preserved gold medal at 15 ducats. It was minted on occasion of the wedding of Maria Theresa and Charles II, Duke of Parma and it shows the portrait of the bride's parents and the wedding couple (No. 6161, estimate: 25,000 euros).
It is also worth taking a glance at the overseas section. One should mention the famous "Adelaide Pound" from 1852 for example, which was the first Australian gold coin (No. 6217, estimate: 20,000 euros).
The Habsburg Dynasty is represented by a number of rarities. Let us begin with a broad real d'or, minted in 1487 for Maximilian I in Dordrecht (No. 6268, estimate: 20,000 euros). Another highlight is a double ducat from 1727 minted by order of Leopold I from the yield of the mine in Eule (Bohemia) (No. 6279, estimate: 25,000 euros). The most expensive coin of the series with an estimate of 50,000 euros is a quadruple ducat by Maria Theresa in almost extremely fine, which was minted in Karlsburg in 1779.
There are also great rarities among the Mediatized Houses, like the quintuple ducat by Franz von Dietrichstein, archbishop of Olmütz (No. 6400, estimate: 20,000 euros) and the quintuple ducat by Christoph Widmann, cardinal of Ortenburg, minted in St. Veit in 1656 (No. 6419, estimate: 20,000 euros).
And thus we will move on to the gold rarities of the German States. You will immediately notice an extremely rare ducat of margrave William of Baden-Baden on the first page (No. 6425, estimate: 30,000 euros). Another extremely rare specimen is a gold gulden of William IV and Ludwig of Bavaria (1516-1545) in extremely fine to FDC (No. 6443, estimate: 15,000 euros).
From A like Augsburg to W like Würzburg, one desirable coin or medal chases the next one. Be it Prussia with a gold medal at 5 ducats from 1741 to honour Frederick II by the Silesian estates (No. 6519, estimate: 15,000 euros), be it Hohenlohe with an extremely fine ducat of 1610 (No. 6607, estimate: 20,000 euros) be it Passau with a double ducat from 1701 (No. 6645, estimate: 20,000 euros) or Pomerania with a gold gulden for the Pomeranian Union of 1478 (No. 6652, estimate: 25,000 euros) - there are rarities from all German territories.
Let us conclude our preview with a glance at the 143 lots from Russia. Of course there is a lot to see here, too. Just have a look at the title image, a quintuple ruble from Elizabeth from Moscow 1758 in extremely fine + (No. 7014, estimate: 12,500 euros) or a gold medal at 12 ducats from 1831, awarded for scientific research (No. 7065, estimate: 20,000 euros).
No. 6044: China. 100 yuan 1995. Only 1.000 specimens struck. Proof. Estimate: 7.500 euros
No. 6607: Hohenlohe. Ducat 1610, Nuremberg. Extremely rare. Extremely fine. Estimate: 20,000 euros
