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What could be the world’s most expensive coin collection is going up for auction — after being banned from sale for a century
【可能是世界上最昂贵的硬币收藏将被拍卖 —— 在被禁止出售一个世纪之后】
By Jacqui Palumbo, CNN
3 minute read
Published 5:49 AM EDT, Mon August 26, 2024
The auction's top lot is a gold coin from the late 15th century featuring a Danish king.
Stack’s Bowers Galleries
此次拍卖的顶级拍品是一枚 15 世纪末的金币，上面有一位丹麦国王。
斯塔克的鲍尔斯画廊
CNN — Following the death of the Danish butter magnate Lars Emil Bruun in 1923, his will had a curious order: His vast accumulation of coins, notes and medals, amassed over more than six decades, should be held as an emergency reserve for Denmark’s national collection in case it were ever destroyed. After a century, if all was well, his own cache could finally be sold to benefit his descendants.
Next month, just under a year since the 100-year-old order expired, the first set of coins from Bruun’s personal 20,000-piece collection will go up for auction. It will take several sales to empty Bruun’s coffers, but once completed, it will be the most expensive international coin collection ever sold, according to Stack’s Bowers, the rare coin dealer and auction house hosting the sales. The L.E. Bruun Collection has been insured for 500 million Danish kroner, or around $72.5 million. The auction house describes it as the most valuable collection of world coins to ever come to market.
CNN——1923 年，丹麦黄油大亨拉尔斯埃米尔布鲁恩去世后，他的遗嘱中有一个奇怪的命令：他在六十多年里积累的大量硬币、纸币和奖章应作为丹麦国家收藏的紧急储备，以防其被摧毁。一个世纪后，如果一切安好，他自己的收藏最终可以出售，以造福他的后代。
下个月，在这个有着百年历史的命令到期后不到一年的时间里，来自布鲁恩个人收藏的两万件藏品中的第一批硬币将被拍卖。清空布鲁恩的宝库需要进行几次拍卖，但一旦完成，这将是有史以来售出的最昂贵的国际硬币收藏，举办此次拍卖的珍稀硬币经销商和拍卖行 Stack's Bowers 表示。L.E. 布鲁恩收藏已投保 5 亿丹麦克朗，约合 7250 万美元。拍卖行称其为有史以来进入市场的最有价值的世界硬币收藏。
Where the numismatist’s collection has resided over the past century had been something of a mystery, its location known to few. But Bruun believed that hiding his treasure was for a noble cause; following the destruction he saw of World War I, he feared the Royal Danish Coin and Medal Collection could one day face bombing or looting, according to the auction house.
Bruun began collecting currency as a child in 1859, when his uncle died and named him among the recipients of some of his coins, according to the sales catalog. The son of innkeepers and landowners, he learned in his 20s that his family inheritance had been squandered and he was saddled in debt. He began his own business in butter with a loan, eventually earning a fortune from sales and exports. With his wealth, he became a prolific coin collector, and was a founding member of the Danish Numismatic Society in 1885.
在过去的一个世纪里，这位钱币学家的收藏存放在哪里一直是个谜，只有少数人知道它的位置。但据拍卖行称，布鲁恩认为隐藏他的宝藏是出于一个崇高的目的；在看到第一次世界大战的破坏后，他担心丹麦皇家硬币和奖章收藏有一天可能会面临轰炸或抢劫。
根据销售目录，布鲁恩在 1859 年还是个孩子的时候就开始收集货币，当时他的叔叔去世，在遗嘱中将他列为一些硬币的接收人之一。他是旅馆老板和地主的儿子，在 20 多岁时得知家族遗产被挥霍一空，自己负债累累。他用一笔贷款开始了自己的黄油生意，最终通过销售和出口赚了一大笔钱。有了财富后，他成为了一位多产的硬币收藏家，并于 1885 年成为丹麦钱币学会的创始成员。
A 17th century Norwegian coin commemorating King Frederik. On its reverse is a rendering of Akershus Castle in Oslo overlooking the sea.
Stack’s Bowers Galleries
一枚 17 世纪的挪威硬币，纪念弗雷德里克国王。硬币的背面是奥斯陆的阿克斯胡斯城堡俯瞰大海的图案。
斯塔克的鲍尔斯画廊
「The good thing about collecting coins is that when you are upset about something or you feel unsettled, then you go and look at your coins, and then you calm down by studying them again and again pondering the many unsolved problems they present,」 he once told a Danish magazine, per the catalog. 「People who are exclusively devoted to their business make a great mistake. I, for one, could never imagine thinking about nothing but butter until my dying days.」
「收集硬币的好处在于，当你为某件事心烦意乱或感到不安时，你可以去看看你的硬币，然后通过反复研究它们来平静下来，思考它们所呈现出的许多未解决的问题，」 他曾对一家丹麦杂志说，销售目录中引用了这句话。「那些完全专注于自己生意的人犯了一个大错误。就我而言，在我临死之前，我无法想象只想着黄油。」
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For the first sale on September 14, Stack’s Bowers will offer up more than 280 lots that include gold and silver coins from Denmark, Norway and Sweden, dated from the late 15th century to the latter years of Bruun’s life. They are valued at over $10 million. The star lot is one of Scandinavia’s oldest gold coins, according to the catalog, a noble of King Hans dated from 1496, which could sell for up to €600,000 euro, or $672,510. All in, the high estimate for the first round is just over €13 million, or $14.6 million, according to Stack’s Bowers.
在 9 月 14 日的首次拍卖中，Stack's Bowers 将提供超过 280 件拍品，包括来自丹麦、挪威和瑞典的金币和银币，年代从 15 世纪末到布鲁恩生命的后期。它们的价值超过 1000 万美元。根据目录，此次拍卖的明星拍品是斯堪的纳维亚最古老的金币之一，是一枚 1496 年汉斯国王时期的贵族金币，售价可能高达 60 万欧元，即 672510 美元。Stack's Bowers 表示，第一轮拍卖的最高估价略高于 1300 万欧元，即 1460 万美元。
「Hands-down my favorite piece in the sale is the 1496 gold noble of King Hans, who was king of Denmark and Norway under the Kalmar Union, as well as Sweden for a brief time. It is important on so many levels — it’s the very first gold coin struck by Denmark, it’s the very first dated coin struck by the Danish kingdom, and it’s unique in private hands,」 said Matt Orsini, director of world and ancient numismatics at Stack’s Bowers Galleries, in a press statement.
Over the past few months, the coins toured different fairs and exhibited at Stack’s Bowers’ galleries. They will be on display in Copenhagen just before the sale.
「毫无疑问，我在这次拍卖中最喜欢的一件拍品是 1496 年汉斯国王的贵族金币，汉斯在卡尔马联盟时期是丹麦和挪威的国王，也曾在很短的一段时间内是瑞典的国王。它在很多方面都很重要 —— 它是丹麦铸造的第一枚金币，是丹麦王国铸造的第一枚有日期的硬币，而且是私人手中独一无二的，」Stack's Bowers Galleries 世界和古代钱币学主任马特奥尔西尼在一份新闻声明中说。
在过去的几个月里，这些硬币在不同的展览会上巡回展出，并在 Stack's Bowers 的画廊展出。它们将在拍卖前在哥本哈根展出。
文章来源：节选自CNN新闻网站
参考译文及笔记：英语老师弗雷德人工手打
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