One of the most valuable collections of Scandinavian coins is set to hit auction next month, estimated to fetch around $70m USD. The treasure trove belonged to the Danish butter mogul Lars Emil Bruun, who purposefully kept its existence secret, apart from a few stewards, to use the coins as a financial reserve for Denmark to tap into during the beginning of the 20th century, fearing the destruction of his country’s national heritage following the Prusso-Danish War and World War I.
Bruun penned in his will that the collection was to be locked away in custom cabinets and untouched for 100 years. The Danish butter mogul died in 1923 and fast forward to 2024, Stack’s Bowers, the company with the rights to the auction, is calling the sale a “once in multiple lifetimes opportunity.” The auction will commence this September and transpire over three to five years, with a collection of 20,000 coins, medals and paper banknotes from Denmark, Norway, Sweden and the period in which the Danes ruled England.
“Upon viewing the collection firsthand, I was struck by its sheer diversity and quality, offering a comprehensive narrative of Scandinavian monetary evolution,” said Stack’s Bowers senior director of consignments, Henrik Holt Christensen, in a statement. “Bruun’s collection encapsulates Scandinavia’s millennium-long numismatic journey.” The most valuable individual coins includes the King Hans Gold Noble, one of only 20 gold coins minted by Danish bureaucrats in the 1530s, with an estimate of around $333,000 to $662,000 USD.
The L. E. Bruun Collection will begin at Stack’s Bowers on September 14, 2024 at 2pm CEST. Proceeds will benefit the Bruun’s heirs.
