E-Auction 3 of Münzen & Medaillen GmbH
On 9th October 2022, the third electronic auction to be held by Münzen & Medaillen GmbH, Weil am Rhein, will take place. The sale comprises ancient and modern coins, including coins from many regions of India, Tibet and Nepal as well as British and European coins.
Amongst the ancient coins is a rare bronze from Roman Athens (ca. 145-175 A.D.), depicting Theseus just as he is about to slay the Minotaur with a club (No. 91). As well as Greek and Roman Republican and Imperial coins, there are also a number of ancient Indian coins, some depicting elephants, such as No. 569, an issue from the Post-Gupta Period. A particular feature of this auction is the large number of coins of India, including issues from the Moghul period and the Sultans of Delhi as well as from many of the other kingdoms and regions and period of British rule (such as Ceylon, No. 473, another of the attractive elephants in the sale!). The auction includes a selection of coins of the Islamic World, from the Ummayad and Fatimid periods and the Saljuqs of Rum through to the Ottoman Empire. There is also a range of coins of the Shahs of Iran. A particular curiosity and rarity is the small copper coin issued in ca. 1331 A.D. from Kilwa Kisiwani (Kasiwani) a Swahili city state and trading post on an island off the coast of today’s Tanzania (No. 318). Further East the kingdoms of Tibet and Nepal are also represented with a series of silver Tankas.
Many of the oriental coins have been displayed on Zeno for years and have been commented on.
The auction contains a collection of 16th century Belgian and Dutch Rechenpfennige (private counting tokens), with some interesting historical and mythological types. No. 836, issued by Pieter Ferdinand Heymans in 1631, depicts a mermaid holding a casket full of money. Other types refer to historical events of the time, such as the defeat of Philip II’s Spanish Armada off the coast of Britain in 1588 (No. 855), or the assassination of William of Orange by Balthasar Gérard on 10th July 1584 (No. 852). William had the dubious honour of being the first head of state to be killed with a firearm (he was certainly not the last). No. 859 (1595) depicts Queen Elizabeth I of England on the occasion oft he Treaty of Nonsuch between the Dutch rebels and the Spanish kingdom, which ruled much of the Netherlands at the time. Another well-known event commemorated by the Rechenpfennige (No. 871) is the Gunpowder Plot of Guy Fawkes and Robert Catesby, who attempted to blow up the Houses of Parliament in London on 5th November 1605, but were foiled in the attempt.
There is a series of British Trade Tokens, which were issued by private businesses in Britain in the 18th and 19th centuries in response to a lack of official currency. Like the Rechenpfennige, many of these depict contemporary personalities, as well as local monuments and historical scenes. Some also comment on the social problems of the times. No. 904 commemorates the import of corn by the government, and comments on the rising prices- “3 ½ ib / 1 S(hilling’s) worth of bread 1795-96/ Good Lord deliver us”. No. 968 is a white metal edition of the famous anti-slavery token, “Am I not a man and a brother?” / “Whatsoever Ye would that men would do to you, do ye/ even so to them”, which used a motif designed by Josiah Wedgewood to promote the activities of William Wilberforce and others. Other tokens (eg. 987) recall important prison reforms by John Howard („Remember the debtors in goal (i.e. gaol)“) or satirize contemporary politicians Pitt and Fox by depicting their conjoined heads (No. 972). Not all the tokens are so political, however. Some advertise entertainment opportunities, such as shows at the Lyceum with adventurous acrobats and riders (No. 958), or zoological displays, such as the elephants, cockatoos and ostriches at Pidcock’s circus (Nos. 966-967).
The auction will take place on Sunday, 9th October 2022, starting 6 PM at Biddr.
For further informationen please go to the website of Münzen & Medaillen GmbH.
