Pre-Auction Report Auction 106 "Coins & Medals"

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In May, coins and medals once again take center stage at Emporium Hamburg: the Spring Auction 106 begins! From May 13th to 16th, the history of humanity will be brought to life in its numismatic form. From antiquity to foreign lands to the German territories – as usual, the catalog covers a wide selection.

Lot 73: Macedonia Philipp III (323-317 BC), AV Stater, Lampsakos. Condition: ef Estimate: € 1800		Lot 163: CILICIA AR Stater (ca. 465-430 BC). Condition: vf-ef Estimate: € 2500		Lot 417: ROMAN EMPIRE Lucius Verus (161-169 AD). AE Sestertius, Rom. Condition: ef-unc Estimate: € 9600

Constantine the Great introduced a series of new currencies in silver and gold. A new nominal in silver, the Miliarense (Lot 706), was created, and in gold, the Solidus was introduced, translated as "the Stable" (Lot 705). It corresponded to a value of 5 Aurei and was intended to replace them. The gold coins were mostly minted by a mobile mint and depended on the emperor's location. Nicomedia was the capital of the Eastern Roman Empire for a long time before the center was moved to the newly founded Constantinople. Nicomedia became Constantine's death place in 337 AD, shortly after he received his baptism on Pentecost.

Lot 705: ROMAN EMPIRE Constantine the Great, AV Solidus (335 AD), SMNC = Nicomedia. Condition: fine hairlines, ef Estimate: € 28,500		Lot 706: ROMAN EMPIRE Constantine the Great, AR Miliarense (335 AD), TS = Thessalonica. Condition: fine hairlines, ef Estimate: € 17,500

The Byzantine coins (Lots 759-866) feature a selection of Solidi, Scyphates, and Hyperpyrons, ranging from Anastasius I (491-518 AD) to Andronicus II and Michael IX (1295-1320).
 

Lot 797: BYZANZ Phocas (602-610 n. Chr.). AV Solidus, CONOB = Konstantinopel. Condition: unc Estimate: € 750		Lot 843: BYZANZ Romanos III. Argyrus (1028-1034). AV histamenon nomisma = Scyphat Konstantinopel. Condition: fine hairlines, ef. Estimate: € 500

In the foreign section of this auction, there is no specific focus; however, the country selection resembles a world tour: starting in Egypt, stopping in Chile, transferring to France, a brief excursion to India, a jump over to Switzerland, and the final landing in the United States.

Lot 1017: FRANCE Ludwig XV. Double Louis d'or au beandeau 1758 BB, Strasbourg. Condition: adjust. near ef Estimate: € 1650		Lot 1110: INDIA Queen Victoria. 1 Mohur 1841, East India Company. Condition: Attr. piece, unc Estimate: € 6800

Lot 1153: JAPAN Mon o. J. (818 n. Chr.), Epoche Konin (Fuju). Condition: ss Estimate: € 200,-		Lot 1405: SPANIEN Alfonso XIII. 100 Pesetas 1897 SG-V, Sevilla. Condition: vz/st Estimate: € 1950,-		Lot 1412: THAILAND Province of Chiengmai (1615-1768). AR Tamlung = Tok or Pig's Nose Money, vaulted shape. Condition: ef Estimate: € 50

Lot 1391: SWITZERLAND 100 Franken 1925 B. Condition: NGC MS-62 Estimate: € 18,500		Lot 1302: POLAND Sigismund III (1587-1632). Taler 1628 II, Bromberg. Condition: trace of mounting, vf Estimate: € 1,450		Lot 1562: USA / HAWAII Hawaii, Kalakaua (1874-1891). Dollar 1883, Akahi Dala. Condition: PCGS AU50 Estimate: € 1600

In the Habsburg territories, the very rare 10 Ducats of Ferdinand III (1637-1657) stand out (Lot 1680). The obverse features a bust of Jesus Christ in a laurel wreath with the inscription SALVATOR MVNDI ("Savior of the World"). The so-called Salvator coins were donated from 1575 as merit coins of the city of Vienna and given as an honor to important officials for New Year.

Lot 1680: HABSBURG Ferdinand III (1637-1657). 10 Ducat n. d., Vienna Condition: very rare, vf-ef Estimate: € 10,000		Lot 1707: HABSBURG Joseph I (1705-1711). Reichstaler 1707, Hall. Condition: near ef Estimate: € 500

The German territories include pieces in gold and silver from Old Germany, the German Empire, the Weimar Republic to modern mintings from East and West Germany.

Lot 1763: ARCHBISHOPRIC OF  SALZBURG Max Gandolph Graf Küenburg (1668-1687). 5 Ducat 1668. Condition: vf Estimate: € 5000		Lot 1796: AUGSBURG Reichstaler 1626 with title Ferdinand II. Condition: near ef Estimate: € 600		Lot 1810: BAVARIA Maximilian I. (1598-1651). 5 Ducat 1640. Refortification of the city of Munich. Condition: rare, attract. piece, ef-unc Estimate: € 20,000

Lot 2261: WÜRTTEMBERG Eberhard Ludwig. Gold gulden n.d. (1710). Condition: fine hairlines, weakly struck, near ef Estimate: € 3800		Lot 2352: BRUNSWICK AND LÜNEBURG Friedrich Wilhelm (1806-1815), Harz gold ducat 1815 FR Condition: very rare, unc Estimate: € 9000		Lot 2498: PRUSSIA Friedrich Wilhelm IV. Double Friedrichs d'or 1846 A. Condition: attr. piece, fine hairlines, near unc / unc Estimate: € 2750

For the Brunswick-Lüneburg collecting area, specimens in extraordinary size are available: löser coins from both the Lüneburg-Celle line and the Wolfenbüttel line. Löser coins were originally created in the 16th century as monetary hoarding coins but evolved over time into representative and decorative showpieces. The löser coin for 3 Reichstalers from 1654 shows a newly introduced depiction under Duke Christian Ludwig (1648-1665): a jumping horse above the mine, specifically above the Harz mining area (Lot 1930). The löser coins always stood as a sign of Brunswick's prosperity, secured by the rich silver deposits.

Lot 1930: BRUNSWICK AND LÜNEBURG Lüneburg-Celle line, Christian Ludwig (1648-1665). Löser for 3 Reichstaler 1654, Clausthal. Condition: extremly rare, vf. Estimate: € 4200			Lot 2002: HAMBURG TOWN Reichstaler 1589 with title Rudolf II. Condition: beautiful patina, ef Estimate: € 700

The featured piece 15 Rupien 1916 T (Lot 3131) showcases a special piece of colonial history in German East Africa: the mint was the railway workshop of the "Kironda Gold Mines Company" in Tabora. The dies for the 15 Rupien 1916 were designed by R. Vogt. The gold required for minting was procured from the Sekenke Gold Mines, located approximately 170 kilometers northeast of Tabora and considered the most significant gold sources in German East Africa.

The decision to mint these golden emergency coins was made for two central reasons. Firstly, coinage aimed to alleviate the acute shortage of money and be used for wage payments. Secondly, in 1916, due to the impending occupation of German East Africa by British and Belgian troops, it was impossible to transport the acquired gold to Germany. If the government had kept this gold, it would have been immediately confiscated by the victorious powers. In contrast, gold held in private ownership remained untouched.

In July 1916, coinage was discontinued due to the advance of Belgian troops. This led to the 15 Rupien gold piece of the German East African Bank becoming a valuable rarity since it represented the only colonial German gold coin as emergency money.

 

Lot 3131: GERMAN EAST AFRICA 15 Rupien 1916 T. Condition: fine hairlines, ef Estimate: € 3500

The auction takes place live online on Auctionmobility and begins on May 13, 2024, at 1:00 PM. Pre-bids are accepted on common portals as well as by phone and in writing. We, the team of the numismatic department of Emporium, look forward to active participation in our auctions and are available at any time for detailed information regarding catalog ordering, telephone bidding, and online live bidding!