$100m coin collection buried for decades to be auctioned

“The collection spans all geographical areas and contains exceptionally rare coins often in a state of preservation never seen in modern times. Several types have never been offered in a public auction, highlighting their considerable rarity,” the press release states.

When eventually retrieved by the collector’s heirs, the coins were placed in a bank vault before being presented to the auction house. However, due to the family’s request for privacy, specific details regarding their hiding and rediscovery remain undisclosed.

Fortunately, the collector’s meticulous records provided crucial information, enabling auction house experts to trace the provenance and value of many coins. Some of them link back to significant auctions of the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

One of the collection’s standout pieces is a 100 ducat gold coin of Ferdinand III of Habsburg, minted in 1629 during his tenure as Archduke of Austria and King of Hungary, Croatia, and Bohemia. Weighing 348.5 grams of fine gold, it ranks among the largest European gold coins ever minted.

Also included is a five-guinea coin of George III, dated 1777, valued at approximately $340,000 (300,000 Swiss francs).

Another exceptional highlight is an “exceedingly rare” set of five Tomans, minted in Tehran and Isfahan during the late 18th and early 19th centuries by Agha Mohammad Khan Qajar. Only five complete sets are known to exist, with one housed in the Ashmolean Museum in Oxford, UK.

Arturo Russo, director of Numismatica Ars Classica, stated in the release: “The vast range and superb quality of the coins offered, the sheer number of great rarities and the fascinating story of the collection’s formation will make these sales a landmark in the history of numismatics.”

David Guest, director of David Guest Numismatics and consultant to the collection, echoed the sentiment: “When it came to cataloguing the British coins from the Traveller Collection I had to keep pinching myself to make sure I wasn’t dreaming.

“Not only was the quality exceptional but many of the coins before me were of types not known to have been offered for sale in over 80 years and, in some cases, completely unrecorded.”

$100m coin collection buried for decades to be auctioned