By Künker GmbH ……
Orders and medals from the estate of the Silesian line of the House of Württemberg as well as a spectacular private collection of Prussian orders and decorations – this is the offer that awaits phaleristic enthusiasts at Künker’s order auction on November 13, 2023.
Lovers of ancient issues can, among other things, look forward to first-century Roman Republican coinage as well as early imperial issues from the Dr. W. R. Collection. Parts 7 and 8 focus on great rarities of the Roman imperators and provincial Roman coinage. Next is auction 397 with a wide scope of ancient coins, including pieces from the Dr. Kurt Conzen Collection and gold coins from the collection of the Luxembourg notary Maître Robert Schuman.
Auction 396 – The Dr. W. R. Collection Part 7 and 8
Two more parts of the Dr. W. R. Collection will be on sale at auction 396 November 13-14, 2023, in Osnabrück, Germany. The sale starts with a spectacular series of Roman provincial coinage with the names of Roman officials. As these pieces are of great scientific importance, Johannes Nollé wrote a detailed commentary about the matter. Those who are interested in more than the usual Roman emperors will encounter Roman officials such as Proconsul Q. Hortensius Hortalus and Proconsul M. Tullius Cicero – the sons of much more famous politicians of the same names– or the Roman self-made man Vedius Pollio. But there are also better-known personalities on offer, such as Publius Quinctilius Varus or the Praefectus of Judaea, Pontius Pilate.
Part 8 of the Dr. W. R. Collection is a perfect opportunity for all those who want to add coins of the imperators and especially of relatives of the Twelve Caesars to their collections. The ensemble includes eleven coins of the family of Pompey, namely of all three politically active members, Pompey Magnus and his two sons. Seventeen coins related to Julius Caesar are on offer, as well as the issues of his assassins, including a denarius with the extremely rare portrait of Brutus.
Are you looking for a portrait of the early deceased grandsons of Augustus, Caius and Lucius? Auction 396 offers many pieces to choose from, in addition to coins from the notorious sisters of Caligula, Drusilla, and Livilla. Or would you like a portrait of Britannicus, the early deceased son of Claudius who should have come to power instead of Nero? The Dr. W. R. Collection contains as many as five pieces with his portrait. It should also be mentioned that, in addition, there are interesting denarii and bronze issues on offer, including some aurei of the classic Twelve Caesars.
No. 1013: Achulla / Africa Propria (today’s Tunisia). Bronze coin, 8/7 BC. Obv. Portraits of Augustus with Gaius and Lucius. Rv. Portrait of Publius Quinctilius Varus. Extremely rare. About fine. Estimate: 4,000 euros
By supporting Rome in the Third Punic War, Achulla gained the status of a free city. On its coins, the city fathers not only depicted the emperor but also Roman governors. One of them is Publius Quinctilius Varus, who became famous due to his failure in the Teutoburg Forest.
No. 1017: Macedonia. Bronze coin, before Caesar’s death(?), Dion or Kassandreia. Head of Q. Hortensius Hortalus. Rv. Yoke, plough, and yardstick with vexillum. Very rare. Fine +. Estimate: 1,500 euros
Quintus Hortensius Hortalus was the son of the famous public speaker of the same name, to whom Cicero dedicated a tract. Young Hortalus was a partisan of Caesar and among the first to cross the Rubicon. For his efforts, he was rewarded with the position of governor of the province of Macedonia. After Caesar’s death, Octavian and Marcus Antonius planned to take it away from him. As a result, Hortalus joined Caesar’s assassins. In this way, he could remain a proconsul while Brutus was the de facto ruler. However, Hortalus backed the wrong horse. After the defeat of Caesar’s assassins at the Battle of Philippi, Hortalus was executed.
No. 1112: Q. Caecilius Metellus Pius Scipio and Marcus Eppius. Denarius, 47/6, African mint. Extremely fine +. Estimate: 1,000 euros
No. 1124: C. Iulius Caesar. Denarius, 44 BC. Very rare. About extremely fine. Estimate: 3,000 euros
No. 1134: Marcus Iunius Brutus and L. Servius Rufus. Denarius, 43. Very rare. Very fine. Estimate: 4,000 euros
No. 1143: Cn. Domitius Ahenobarbus. Denarius, 41 BC, unknown mint. From Sternberg auction XVIII (1986), No. 374. Rare. Extremely fine. Estimate: 6,000 euros
No. 1292: Tiberius and L. Aelius Sejanus. As, 31, Bilbilis (Hispania). From the Leo Benz Collection, Lanz auction 94 (1999), No. 162. About extremely fine. Estimate: 1,500 euros
Lucius Aelius Sejanus was a prefect of the Praetorian Guard under Tiberius, who had withdrawn to the island of Capri. Since the emperor was not around, Sejanus virtually became the most powerful man in Rome. He was brought down in 31. It is impossible to verify whether he planned to murder Caligula and wanted the imperial throne for himself. The sources are too biased and do not allow us to objectively assess the situation. Sejanus fell victim to the practice of damnatio memoriae after he died. Therefore, his name was erased from coins. Regarding this piece, his name is still visible.
No. 1332: Caligula and Drusilla. Miletus (Ionia). Bronze coin, after 38. Very rare. Extremely fine. Estimate: 1,250 euros
No. 1368: Claudius with Britannicus, Claudia, and Claudia Octavia. Patras (Peloponnese). Bronze coin, around 41-45. Very rare. About extremely fine. Estimate: 2,500 euros
No. 1400: Nero and Agrippina Junior. Denarius, 54. Rare. Very fine +. Estimate: 1,000 euros
Auction 397: Coins from the Ancient World
A journey through the entire ancient world – this experience is made possible by auction 397 on 14 and 15 November. No matter what field you are interested in, auction 397 has something on offer that fits your collection perfectly. Many small and two large collections will be sold. The first one is the Dr. Kurt Conzen Collection, which was mainly acquired in the 1970s and ’80s from major auction houses. The second large ensemble is from the estate of Maître Robert Schuman. It consists of gold coins of excellent quality and covers both Greek as well as Roman and Byzantine gold issues.
A highlight of the sale is a necklace and a bracelet, probably made for Pauline Borghese, Napoleon Bonaparte’s little sister. The necklace was among the great showpieces at the then-very important Art and Antiques Fair in Delft in June 1966.
No. 2018: Parisii (Celts). Gold stater around 60 BC. Very rare. Very fine +. Estimate: 12,500 euros
No. 2155: Panticapaeum (Scythia). Gold stater, 340-325. Rare. From the Jameson Collection 2145. About extremely fine / Very fine +. Estimate: 60,000 euros
No. 2295: Lampsakos (Mysia). Electrum stater around 450. Rare. From Vinchon auction, Monte Carlo 1975, No. 104. Very fine +. Estimate: 30,000 euros
No. 2361: Tryphon, 141-138 (Syria). Tetradrachm, Antioch. Very rare. Extremely fine. Estimate: 12,500 euros
No. 2406: Arsinoe II (Egypt). Octodrachm, Alexandria. From the Maître Schuman Collection. Extremely fine to FDC. Estimate: 15,000 euros
No. 2475: P. Clodius Turrinus (Roman Republic). Aureus, 42. From the Maître Schuman Collection. Rare. Very fine + / Extremely fine. Estimate: 15,000 euros
No. 2505: Coin jewelry related to Pauline Bonaparte, the sister of Napoleon I. Gold necklace made of two plated gold cords with alternating triangular decorations and 14 mounted Roman aurei. Estimate: 100,000 euros
No. 2586: Galba, 68-69. Aureus. Very rare. From the Maître Schuman Collection. Very fine +. Estimate: 15,000 euros
No. 2750: Pertinax, 193. Aureus. Very rare. From the Maître Schuman Collection. From the H. Osborne O’Hagan Collection, Sotheby, Wilkinson & Hodge auction (1908), No. 493. Very rare. Very fine +. Estimate: 15,000 euros
No. 2784: Macrinus, 217-218. Aureus, March / June 218. Very rare. From the Leo Biaggi de Blasys Collection 1262. FDC. Estimate: 125,000 euros
No. 2910: Constantine I, 306-337. Medallion of 1 ¼ solidi (festive aureus), 335, Thessaloniki. Very rare. From the Maître Schuman Collection. About extremely fine. Estimate: 20,000 euros
No. 2912: Crispus. Solidus, 324, Nicomedia. Extremely rare. From the Maître Schuman Collection. Extremely fine. Estimate: 10,000 euros
No. 3077: Iustinianus II, 2nd reign 705-711. Solidus, 705, Constantinople. Very rare. From the Maître Schuman Collection. Extremely fine to FDC. Estimate: 2,000 euros
No. 3084: Artavasdos, 742-744, and Nikephoros. Solidus, Constantinople. Extremely rare. Very fine. Estimate: 20,000 euros
Orders and Decorations from Important Private Collections
Künker will kick off its Winter auction week with a spectacular sale of spectacular objects. On November 13, auction 395 offers orders and decorations from several important special collections in addition to some outstanding individual pieces.
The auction will begin with a significant collection of Prussian orders and decorations from the Rhineland. It contains a total of 287 lots, including numerous particularly rare objects, some of which have not been seen on the market for decades. The focal point is on the Prussian Order of the Red Eagle before 1918. With the help of the expertise of the doyen of Prussian phaleristics, Dr. Peter Sauerwald (1936-2022), the collector built up a systematic collection of these decorations and also gathered documents that testify to their bestowal of a kind that can hardly be found on the market.
The second part of the auction consists of the estates of offshoots of the Ducal House of Württemberg and the royal house of Bulgaria. The offer goes beyond impressive orders such as a great cross set of the Bulgarian “St. Alexander” Order with jewels and a neck decoration of the Austrian Order of the Golden Fleece to also include numerous medals such as a gold medal, of which only two specimens were created on the occasion of the completion of the railroad line from Yambol to Burgas in 1890 – one for the prince of Bulgaria and one for his mother. The latter has been lost.
The third part of the sale presents an ensemble of world orders and decorations that were awarded to members of the French family de Fauque de Jonquières.
The fourth part of the auction contains orders and decorations from various estates with a focal point on the German states. But there are also extremely rare pieces from the Russian Empire on offer.
No. 16: Prussia. “Pour le mérite” order (1740). Cross of the order in the version issued from 1917 to 1918. II. Estimate: 7,500 euros
No. 25: Prussia. Order of the Red Eagle. 1st version (so-called “great order of the red eagle” – 1792-1810). Extremely rare. II. Estimate: 15,000 euros
No. 74: Prussia. Order of the Red Eagle. 5th version (1854-1918). Extremely rare. I-II. Estimate: 12,500 euros
No. 295: Order of the Württemberg Crown (1818). From the estate of Field Marshal Albert Duke of Württemberg (1865-1939). II. Estimate: 3,000 euros
No. 323: Bulgaria. Large gold medal commemorating the completion of the railroad line between Yambol and Burgas on 14 May 1890. The second known specimen. About FDC. From the estate of Tsar Ferdinand I. I-. Estimate: 50,000 euros
No. 324: Bulgaria. “St. Alexander” order (1881). From the estate of Eleonore, since 1908 the wife of Tsar Ferdinand I. II. Estimate: 20,000 euros
No. 345: Austria. Order of the Golden Fleece. From the estate of August Duke of Saxe-Coburg-Koháry (1818-1881). Very rare. II-III. Estimate: 15,000 euros
No. 437: Russia. Imperial Order of St. Andrew the Apostle the First-Called. Collar set. Very rare. I-II. Estimate: 150,000 euros
Following Künker’s Winter public sales, on November 17-18, 2023, the two eLive Premium Auctions 398 and 399 will be held.
* * *
To order a catalog contact Künker, Nobbenburger Straße 4a, 49076 Osnabrück; phone: +49 541 / 962020; fax: +49 541 / 9620222; or via e-mail: [email protected]. You can access the auction catalogs online at www.kuenker.de. If you want to submit your bid from your computer at home, please remember to register for this service in good time.
* * *
