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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
【可能是世界上最昂貴的硬幣收藏將被拍賣 —— 在被禁止出售一個世紀之後】
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
此次拍賣的頂級拍品是一枚 15 世紀末的金幣，上面有一位丹麥國王。
斯塔克的鮑爾斯畫廊
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，丹麥奶油大亨拉爾斯埃米爾布魯恩去世後，他的遺囑中有一個奇怪的命令：他在六十多年裏積累的大量硬幣、紙幣和獎章應作為丹麥國家收藏的緊急儲備，以防其被摧毀。一個世紀後，如果一切安好，他自己的收藏最終可以出售，以造福他的後代。
下個月，在這個有著百年歷史的命令到期後不到一年的時間裏，來自布魯恩個人收藏的兩萬件藏品中的第一批硬幣將被拍賣。清空布魯恩的寶庫需要進行幾次拍賣，但一旦完成，這將是有史以來售出的最昂貴的國際硬幣收藏，舉辦此次拍賣的珍稀硬幣經銷商和拍賣行 Stack's Bowers 表示。L.E. 布魯恩收藏已投保 5 億丹麥克朗，約合 7250 萬美元。拍賣行稱其為有史以來進入市場的最有價值的世界硬幣收藏。
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.
在過去的一個世紀裏，這位錢幣學家的收藏存放在哪裏一直是個謎，只有少數人知道它的位置。但據拍賣行稱，布魯恩認為隱藏他的寶藏是出於一個崇高的目的；在看到第一次世界大戰的破壞後，他擔心丹麥皇家硬幣和獎章收藏有一天可能會面臨轟炸或搶劫。
根據銷售目錄，布魯恩在 1859 年還是個孩子的時候就開始收集貨幣，當時他的叔叔去世，在遺囑中將他列為一些硬幣的接收人之一。他是旅館老板和地主的兒子，在 20 多歲時得知家族遺產被揮霍一空，自己負債累累。他用一筆貸款開始了自己的奶油生意，最終透過銷售和出口賺了一大筆錢。有了財富後，他成為了一位多產的硬幣收藏家，並於 1885 年成為丹麥錢幣學會的創始成員。
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 世紀的挪威硬幣，紀念法雷迪國王。硬幣的背面是奧斯陸的阿克斯胡斯城堡俯瞰大海的圖案。
斯塔克的鮑爾斯畫廊
「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.」
「收集硬幣的好處在於，當你為某件事心煩意亂或感到不安時，你可以去看看你的硬幣，然後透過反復研究它們來平靜下來，思考它們所呈現出的許多未解決的問題，」 他曾對一家丹麥雜誌說，銷售目錄中參照了這句話。「那些完全專註於自己生意的人犯了一個大錯誤。就我而言，在我臨死之前，我無法想象只想著奶油。」
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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 日的首次拍賣中，Stack's Bowers 將提供超過 280 件拍品，包括來自丹麥、挪威和瑞典的金幣和銀幣，年代從 15 世紀末到布魯恩生命的後期。它們的價值超過 1000 萬美元。根據目錄，此次拍賣的明星拍品是斯堪的納維亞最古老的金幣之一，是一枚 1496 年漢斯國王時期的貴族金幣，售價可能高達 60 萬歐元，即 672510 美元。Stack's Bowers 表示，第一圈拍賣的最高估價略高於 1300 萬歐元，即 1460 萬美元。
「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.
「毫無疑問，我在這次拍賣中最喜歡的一件拍品是 1496 年漢斯國王的貴族金幣，漢斯在卡爾馬聯盟時期是丹麥和挪威的國王，也曾在很短的一段時間內是瑞典的國王。它在很多方面都很重要 —— 它是丹麥鑄造的第一枚金幣，是丹麥王國鑄造的第一枚有日期的硬幣，而且是私人手中獨一無二的，」Stack's Bowers Galleries 世界和古代錢幣學主任馬特奧爾西尼在一份新聞聲明中說。
在過去的幾個月裏，這些硬幣在不同的展覽會上巡回展出，並在 Stack's Bowers 的畫廊展出。它們將在拍賣前在哥本哈根展出。
文章來源：節選自CNN新聞網站
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