Summer Auctions By Künker
By Künker GmbH ……
About 4,000 lots will be offered in Künker’s Summer Auctions: Specialized collections of bracteates, French and Polish coins and medals, coins of the Middle Rhine from the Link Collection, Günter Westphal’s collection of Solms, a series of Venetian coins and much more.
The Künker auctions, which will take place June 24-27, 2019, would not have turned into such big and well-stocked events if it had not been for the many collectors who once again decided to consign their collections to the auction house Künker.
Hence, Künker Auction 322 will start off with an extensive series of carefully selected bracteates from the High Middle Ages. In addition, the Günter Westphal Collection of Solms will be sold and collectors of ships on coins will certainly discover an amazing selection of interesting pieces.
Künker Auction 323 is dedicated to two specialized collections: one is the comprehensive collection of French coins and medals encompassing an impressive 850 lots. The other is a collection of Polish rarities as you rarely get to see them. It includes, among other things, another part of the Phoibos Collection.
Künker Auction 324 is dedicated to gold coins and medals. It will see the auctioning of large South America and Italy series – including an extensive batch of Sicilian and Venetian coins. The Eberhard Link Collection has been added to both Auction 322 and 324. This time, it primarily contains coins from the Middle Rhine region. But Eberhard Link’s interests were more widely spread than that. Hence, collectors will also find a large batch of Swedish plate money from his collection in the Sweden section.
Auction 322: Coins and Medals From the Middle Ages and the Modern Period
The first day of Künker Auction 322 will begin with 141 lots of selected bracteates.
These not only include incredibly beautiful pieces of Romanesque art but also great rarities such as Falkenstein or Sigmaringen-Helfenstein. Whether it’s a crest or a knight in full armor on his dapple gray; whether it’s an abbot with a crozier and gospel; or whether it’s the emperor himself: all social ranks that possessed power in the Middle Ages are immortalized on these small pieces of art. The collection offered at Künker contains both the richly illustrated bracteates of Central Germany as well as the less artistic yet much rarer products from the mints of Northern Germany and the extremely popular bracteates of the region of Lake Constance.
No. 33: Falkenstein. Burkhard II, 1142-1174. Bracteate, Ermsleben. Very rare. Almost extremely fine. Estimate: 2,000 euros.
No. 63: Brandenburg. Otto I, 1157-1184. Bracteate. Very rare. Very fine to extremely fine. Estimate: 2,500 euros.
No. 115: Hersfeld. Siegfried, 1180-1200. Bracteate. Very rare. Almost extremely fine. Estimate: 5,000 euros.
No. 122: Gelnhausen. Friedrich I, 1155-1190. Bracteate 1180/90. From Sternberg Auction XXII (1989), no. 912. Very rare. Extremely fine. Estimate: 4,000 euros.
No. 136: Sigmaringen-Helfenstein. Gottfried III, 1247-1263. Bracteate, 1250-1260. Very rare. Extremely fine. Estimate: 1,000 euros.
Germany
In the Germany section, you will not only discover several comprehensive collections, but also interesting and rare individual pieces. To avoid going beyond the scope of this preview, allow us to present one piece to represent this section: a double reichstaler of Christian I Ludwig of Mecklenburg-Schwerin, minted in Dömitz in 1677. On its obverse, the Baroque gem features the duke wearing a full-bottomed wig; the reverse depicts a coat of arms with a crown set atop the shield, supported by two angels and surrounded by the collars of the Order of Saint Michael and the Order of the Holy Spirit.
Lovers of Saxony will also get their money’s worth. More than 260 lots originate from the Albertan and Ernestine line. One example is the extremely fine wide triple reichstaler from 1650 that Johann Georg I had minted in celebration of the Peace of Westphalia.
Let us have a look at the collections then. The highlight here is definitely the collection of Solms compiled by Günter Westphal (1929-2017). In case you do not remember every single one of the former German small states: Solms was a county in Hesse, west of Wetzlar, which was partitioned repeatedly due to missing primogeniture arrangements. Coins from Solms are rare. We have not seen such a large amount of material on the market in a very long time.
A note for anyone interested in numisnautics: as a former sailor, Günter Westphal compiled a large collection of ship images which will also be sold in Auction 322. Both rare individual pieces, as well as extensive multiple lots, will be offered.
Let us take a klippe to the weight of a half taler as an example: it was minted on behalf of Adolf Heinrich of Salm-Dhaun, who ruled from 1557 to 1606. This particular piece was so interesting in the eyes of its former owner Eberhard Link that he dedicated an article to it whose title translates to “Half a taler but not a half taler: the klippe of Salm-Dhaun struck from the dies of the Fat with the Agnus Dei”.
World Coins
While we are talking about the Eberhard Link Collection, let us quickly look at world coins and medals, too. Another part of his collection hides in this section: a small series of about 30 lots of Swedish plate money which served as substitutes for talers in the country that had a lot of copper but hardly any silver at its disposal.
No. 522: Mecklenburg. Christian I Ludwig, 1658-1692. Double reichstaler 1677, Dömitz. Extremely rare. Extremely fine. Estimate: 30,000 euros.
No. 574: Palatine-Zweibrücken-Veldenz. Wolfgang, 1532-1569. Reichstaler 1566, Meisenheim. Extremely rare. Very fine+. Estimate: 6,000 euros.
No. 665: Saxony. Christian II, Johan Georg I and August, 1591-1611. Thick quadruple reichstaler 1608, Dresden. Extremely rare. Extremely fine. Estimate: 10,000 euros.
No. 716: Saxony. Johann Georg I, 1615-1656. Wide triple reichstaler 1650, Dresden. In celebration of the Peace of Westphalia. Extremely rare. Extremely fine. Estimate: 10,000 euros.
No. 857: Salm- Kirburg. Otto, 1548-1607. Reichstaler 1596, Kirn. Ex Link Collection. Extremely rare. Miniscule rim nick. Very fine: Estimate: 7,500 euros.
No. 884: Salm-Dhaun. Adolf Heinrich, 1557-1606. Klippen-shaped half taler n. d., Meddersheim. Ex Link Collection. Extremely rare. Very fine. Estimate: 7,500 euros.
No. 981: Solms-Lich. Philipp, 1613-1631. Klippe from the dies of a reichstaler 1613, Lich. Ex Westphal Collection. Extremely rare. Pierced. Extremely fine. Estimate: 7,500 euros.
No. 1013: Solms-Braunfels. Wilhelm of Greifenstein and Reinahrd of Hungen, 1610-1630. Reichstaler 1623, Hungen. Ex Westphal Collection. Very rare. Very fine to extremely fine. Estimate: 7,500 euros.
No. 1106: Numisnautics. Silver medal 1900 marking the Boxer Rebellion in China. Miniscule rim nick. Ex Westphal Collection. Very fine to extremely fine. Estimate: 400 euros.
No. 1246: German Empire. Bavaria. Otto II, 1886-1913. 20 marks 1913. Extremely rare. Proof. Estimate: 20,000 euros.
No. 1392: Weimar Republic. 50 reichspfennig 1924 F. Very rare. Extremely fine to FDC. Estimate: 6,000 euros.
No. 1723: Russia. 1 1/2 ruble (10 zlotych) 1838, St. Petersburg on behalf of Poland. Very rare. Very fine. Estimate: 10,000 euros.
Auction 323: French coins and medals, Rarities From Poland, and More
June 26 will see the sale of two specialized collections. The day will begin with an extensive collection of French coins and medals from the Celts to modern times, including coins of the royal, and later Republican, central government and coins of the French nobility and cities, commonly referred to in France as Féodales.
Of course, you will find a large number of great rarities. For example: a gold stater of the Parisii, a Carolingian pfennig that might have been minted in Worms, and a selection of large and gorgeous gold coins that were created during the reign of Philip the Fair and during the Hundred Years’ War between France and England. All of the material offered from this era can be described as downright spectacular: for example, the florin d’or that depicts Philip IV of France, called Philip the Fair, sitting on his throne or the couronne d’or struck in January 1340. This denomination was only minted one single time in French history.
Whether it is incredible Renaissance portraits, such as the images of Henry II on the henri d’or from 1552, or the impressive Baroque images, such as the one seen on the 1701 double louis d’or aux huit L:, the amount of interesting coins and medals of extraordinary grade is tremendous.
Both the different phases of the French Revolution as well as the 19th century are also recorded spectacularly well. Anyone who is interested in these eras – whether it may be the Second Empire or the Third, Fourth or Fifth Republic – should also not forget to take a close look at the multiple lots.
This section includes almost 100 lots of Féodales coins with a focus on the Alsace region. The highlight here is an extremely fine reichstaler struck in Hagenau in 1665 which once was part of the Vogel Collection and the Schwalbe Collection.
No. 2011: France. Celts. Parisii. Gold stater, around 60 BCE. Very rare. Very fine. Estimate: 7,500 euros
No. 2026: France. Merovingians. Mettis (Metz / Moselle). Gold tremissis. Very rare. Very fine. Estimate: 3,000 euros.
No. 2037: France. Carolingians. Charlemagne, 768-814. Denarius, uncertain mint (Verdun or Worms). Extremely rare. Very fine to extremely fine. Estimate: 7,500 euros.
No. 2088: France. Philip IV the Fair, 1285-1314- Florin d’or “a la Reine” n. d. (1305). Very rare. Very fine to extremely fine. Estimate: 10,000 euros.
No. 2103: France. Philipp VI, 1328-1350. Couronne d’or n. d. (January 1340). Extremely rare. Extremely fine. Estimate: 35,000 euros.
No. 2464: France. Louis XVI, 1774-1793. Louis d’or aux palmes 1774 A, Paris. Very rare. Extremely fine. Estimate: 15,000 euros.
No. 2754: Hagenau. Reichstaler 1665. Ex Vogel Collection and Schwalbe Collection. Extremely rare. Extremely fine. Estimate: 25,000 euros.
Specialized Collections Poland
This brings us to the collections of Polish rarities compiled from the Phoibus Collection as well as two other interesting collections of Polish coins. The collections complete each other so well that Künker is able to offer at least one piece from every ruler starting at Sigismund. In addition, you will find many rarities of Polish cities and regions.
What else is there to say? The coins speak for themselves.
No. 2852: Sigismund Augustus, (1530-)1548-1572. Ducat 1549, Vilnius on behalf of Lithuania. Ex Phoibus Collection. Extremely rare. Almost FDC. Estimate: 40,000 euros.
No. 2854: Stephan Bathory, 1576-1586. Ducat 1580, Olkusz. Ex Phoibus Collection. Extremely rare. Possibly unedited. Slightly bent. Very fine to extremely fine. Estimate: 20,000 euros.
No. 2862: Wladislaw IV, 1632-1648. 10 ducats n. d. (1636) Bromberg. Extremely rare. Probably the only known specimen on the market. Almost extremely fine. Estimate: 50,000 euros.
No. 2869: Johann Kasimir, 1649-1668. Ducat 1649, Krakow. Ex Phoibus Collection. Extremely rare. Extremely fine to FDC. Estimate: 30,000 euros.
No. 2914. Danzig. Johann III Sobieski, 1674-1696. 5 ducats n. d. Ex Phoibus Collection. Extremely rare. Extremely fine. Estimate: 20,000 euros.
No. 2925. Thorn. Wladislaw IV, 1632-1648. Ducat 1640. Ex Phoibos Collection. Extremely rare. Almost FDC. Estimate: 15,000 euros.
Auction 324: Gold Coins and Medals
And that is not all Künker has to offer. The entire day of June 27 is dedicated to gold coins and medals. The auction catalog fittingly starts off with an article Bernd Kluge dedicated to Fritz Rudolf Künker. It contains an updated and expanded catalog of all Berlin ducats of King Frederick William I of Prussia. This makes Auction Catalog 324 a new standard reference that should be part of any library concerned with German coinage.
Of course, Auction 324 will also present astounding individual pieces: for example, an 1826 5 pound coin of George IV, which NGC has graded PF 63 Cameo (estimate: 75,000 euros) and one of Queen Victoria “Una and the Lion”, which NGC has graded PF62 Ultra Cameo (estimate: 150,000 euros).
We do, however, want to focus on series in this preview and lovers of Italian coins will find a lot of material here: the Papal States, Sicily (the Middle Ages in particular with a full and a half augustalis) as well as an extensive series of Venetian gold coins including several rarities. Those are the highlights of the almost 150 lots of Italian gold coins.
Those who are interested in gold coins from South America are also advised to carefully read through the catalog. Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Mexico, and Peru are particularly well represented with numerous 18th- and 19th-century gold coins.
Looking at Germany, this auction, too, will contain many pieces from the Eberhard Link Collection. To be exact, there are large series of Rhenish gold gulden and other gold coins and medals of the cities and dominions in the Middle Rhine region.
The auction can also be viewed online at www.kuenker.de.
Auction 324 Higlights
No. 3037: Great Britain. George IV, 1820-1830. 5 pounds 1826, London. Only 150 specimens minted. Proof. Slightly touched. NGC PF63 CAMEO. Estimate: 75,000 euros.
No. 3038: Great Britain. Victoria, 1837-1901. 5 pounds 1839, London. “Una and the Lion”. Very rare. Proof. NGC PF 62 ULTRA CAMEO. Estimate: 150,000 euros.
No. 3185: Italy. Venice. Alvise IV Mocenigo, 1763-1778. Off-metal strike in gold worth 12 zecchini struck from the dies of the scudo della croce n. d. Extremely rare. Extremely fine to FDC. Estimate: 40,000 euros.
No. 3245: Russia. Paul I, 1796-1801. Gold medal n. d. (1797) by C. Meisner to mark his coronation in Moscow. Extremely rare. Extremely fine. Estimate: 25,000 euros.
No. 3440. Colombia. Fernando VI, 1746-1759. 8 escudos 1754 F-S, Santa Fé. Very rare. Very fine+. Estimate: 5,000 euros.
No. 3517: Peru. Philipp V, 1700-1727. 8 escudos 1711 L-M, Lima. Very rare. Very fine. Estimate: 5,000 euros.
No. 3564: German Empire. Matthias, 1608-1612-1619. 10 ducats 1619, Vienna. Very rare. Very fine+. Estimate: 25,000 euros.
No. 3774: Bavaria. Charles Albert, 1726-1745. 10 ducats 1739, Munich. Extremely rare. Almost extremely fine. Estimate: 50,000 euros.
No. 3782: Bavaria. Ludwig I, 1825-1848. Ducat 1830, Danube gold. Very rare. Almost FDC. Estimate: 15,000 euros.
No. 3798: Brandenburg-Prussia. Frederick III, 1688-1701. Gold medal worth 20 ducats 1692 by R. Faltz in celebration of the construction of the “Long Bridge” in Berlin. Extremely rare. Very fine to extremely fine. Estimate: 50,000 euros.
No. 3818: Bretzenheim. Charles Augustus, 1789-1803. Ducat 1790, Mannheim. Ex Link Collection. Very rare. Extremely fine to FDC. Estimate: 6,000 euros.
No. 4175: Saxony. Johann Georg I, 1615-1656. 6 ducats 1630, Dresden, in celebration of the centenary of the presentation of the Augsburg Confession. Very rare. Very fine to extremely fine. Estimate: 15,000 euros.
No. 4183: Saxony. Frederick Augustus II, 1733-1763. 2 ducats 1747, Dresden, in celebration
of the marriage of his daughter and the Dauphin of France. Third-known specimen on the market. Extremely fine to FDC. Estimate: 15,000 euros.
No. 4251: Werden and Helmstedt. Johann Stecke, 1432-1452. Gold gulden n. d. (after 1439). Unique. Very fine. Estimate: 30,000 euros.
