22-10-2017 – 25-10-2017
Auctions 41-45
Successful auction week at Sincona
Important coin auctions in conjunction with coin fairs are appreciated by both collectors and dealers. And thus in addition to the numismatic weeks in January and August in the USA, and in the early spring, and early autumn in Munich, the auction week prior to the Zurich Coin Show at the end of October is an important numismatic event.
Lot 1023. Peter I (1682-1725). Ducat 1716, Red Mint. Hammer price: SFr 95’000.
Between October 23-26, 2017 Sincona AG auctioned more than 5000 items during their auctions 41-45 in Zurich, contained and presented in five attractive, as always hardbound, catalogues. As the last lot was sold on Thursday around noon the total result was over 9 million Swiss francs.
Auction 41: Ancient Numismatics – Total hammer SFr 680’000
Auction 42: Coins and Medals from Russia – Total hammer SFr 3’100’000
Auction 43: Part: Coins and Medals of the World in Gold and Silver – Total hammer SFr 2’550’000
consisting of Sincona Gold Auction – Total hammer SFr 870’000
and: Swiss Coins and Medals – Total hammer SFr 703’000
Auction 44: Collection R. Kunzmann, Swiss Coins Part 1 – Total hammer SFr 900’000
Auction 45: Bank notes, Documents, Historical Stocks & Bonds – Total hammer SFr 233’000
Lot 5912: Lausanne, Bishopric. Benoît de Montferrant (1476-1491). Parpaiolle 1477. Hammer price: SFr 18’000.
Thanks for this special event naturally belongs to the consignors and all bidders – written in, personally present, or online. The possibility to partake “live” in these auctions from around the world via internet is used more and more by collectors and dealers alike. The auction room was full during the special catalogues, Ancients, Russia and the Ruedi Kunzmann Collection. The internet bidders were predominant during the general catalogue auction. Thus one can participate from far away supported by good and honest advice from the Sincona experts at the scene.
Lot 158: Roman Empire. Julia Domna. Wife of Septimius Severus, 193-211. Aureus 196/211, Rome. Hammer price: SFr 30’000.
Auction 41
The event began with Auction catalogue 41 containing many wonderful gold and silver coins from ancient times. After the successful sale of an important collection of Byzantine coins in the spring, this was the second catalogue with Greek, Roman and Byzantine coins by Sincona this year.
Lot 187: Romulus Augustus. Tremissis 475/476, Milan. Hammer price: SFr 60‘000.
Lot 72, a wonderful gold octodrachm of Ptolemy II. of Egypt showing the portraits of himself, Arsinoe II, Ptolemy I and Berenice I, was highly attractive. It was not foreseen that a small tremissis of Romulus Augustus would reach the highest price with SFr 60’000. While not really suitable for a title picture, this small coin is historically highly important and interesting. Even collectors of modern coins are always fascinated with how much talent the engravers of ancient times produced beautiful portraits and elegant animal depictions.
Lot 1044: Peter II (1727-1730). Ducat 1729, Red Mint. Hammer price: SFr 100‘000.
Auction 42
Auction 42 showed, that after the four auctioned sections of the “Sincona Collection”, the Autumn auction of Russian Coins and Medals of Sincona AG remains the most important date in the numismatic calendar for friends of Russian numismatics.
Lot 1074: Peter III (1728-1762). Pattern Rouble 1762, St. Petersburg. Hammer price: SFr 650’000.
The top item of this auction was the pattern rouble 1762 of Czar Peter III (Grading NGC MS 62) with a hammer of SFr 780’000.- (incl. fees). Other prices realized of note were attained by the ducats of Peter I and Peter II., as well as spectacular quality coins of the 19th century. The trend of offering especially well preserved or rare coins in so-called slabs continued in this auction. While on one side the coin is protected from external influence and receiving somewhat of an authenticity guarantee, the experience of being able to examine the coin and edge is lost. Whether this trend will continue in the future with classical collection coins remains to be seen.
Lot 2820: Commemorative double gulden 1887, bronze strike, minted in Vienna. Hammer price: SFr 26‘000.
Auction 43
Auction 43 was divided into several segments: Coins from throughout the World in Silver and Gold; the special Sincona-Gold Auction and Swiss Coins and Medals. Several specialized areas found extra attention: Germany, Italy and Papal States, Malta and Austria/Holy Roman Empire with special emphasis on coins of Emperor Franz Joseph I. Fantastic prices were attained for bronze off-metal strikes of commemorative guldens and double guldens that reached a multiple figure of the estimate, such as the magnificent piece in memory of the resumption of mining in Kuttenberg in 1887 (estimated at SFr 5’000, realized SFr 26’000).
Lot 3142. Belgium. Brabant. Charles II (1665-1700). Ducaton d’or 1687. Hammer price: SFr 130’000.
This shows that a deep knowledge of the rarities of a special area of collecting, combined with speciality literature, is the prerequisite in order to recognize the rarities and for bidding. The same applied for the medal series of this emperor and for the rare items from Belgium, Malta or Spain.
Lot 4457: Monastery Rheinau, Gerold von Zurlauben. Double ducat 1723. Hammer price: SFr 22‘000.
Let us mention a special coin from Switzerland. The extremely rare double ducat 1723 commemorating the golden jubilee as priest of Gerold von Zulauben, Abbot of Rheinau fascinated a prospective happy owner in spite of the hammer price of SFr 22’000. Something such as this will not come again very soon.
Lot 5003: Aargau, Laufenburg, City mintage. Groschen (Grossus) 1505, Laufenburg. Hammer price: SFr 26‘000.
Auction 44
That a special collection receives a special acclaim was proven in an impressive way in Auction 44, the first part of the Ruedi Kunzmann Collection. For one, the auction room was filled to the last seat. After some introductory words of the auctioneer Jürg Richter about his friend and the collection the battle for rarities began. A high price was expected for the Laufenburg groschen (hammer SFr 26’000.-), but the realized prices for many minor coins and variants astonished many of the attending spectators and bidders.
Lot 5033. Appenzell/Innerrhoden. Kreuzer 1742. Appenzell. Hammer price: SFr 10’000.
Many minors that had not been on the market for years, silver denominations and some gold coins brought exciting moments. This auction did not contain a single slab – all pieces that had given enthusiasm and enjoyment to the collector were available to hold and examine in the hand. That afternoon was an experience for all.
Lot 7663: Int. Laboratories Arleshaim AG (today WELEDA). Stock for SFr 112.50 1924. Hammer price: SFr 3‘400.
Auction 45
In cooperation with the for stocks and bonds specialized firm HIWEPA (Auction 45) the end of the October auctions of Sincona traditionally offered banknotes and historical stocks and bonds. The highest increments were reached by Belgian and Swiss notes, as well as Chinese stocks and bonds.
You can view all results on the Sincona AG website.