Peus Achieves Top Prizes With Extremely Fine Greek and Rare Gold Coins

The spring auction of Dr. Busso Peus Nachf. exceeded all expectations. In times when coin collecting is one of the few activities that can be pursued without restrictions, this hobby enjoys great popularity worldwide. Presumably, the aspect of a sustainable investment also plays a role. What is certain, however, is that coins of extraordinary quality and with selected provenances are rewarded with high prices. This time, three collections carefully built up over decades formed the focus of the ancient coins section.

Ancient Coins

Mostly Greek coins were on offer, which have been especially seeked after for several years, probably both because of their special aesthetic and historical appeal. The former drove a diobol of Tarentum, lot 25, a wonderful miniature of the fight with the Nemean lion, from 500 EUR to 2,000 EUR.

A rare hemiobol by Metapont, lot 32, from the same collection (Dr. H. M.) increased the estimate tenfold from 150 EUR to 1,600 EUR. The splendid nomos of Kaulonia, lot 40 (estimate 5,000 EUR), found its new owner after a fierce bidding battle for 17,000 EUR. The excellent stater of Timoleon, lot 69 (estimate 1000 EUR), from the Hrycyna Collection in Darmstadt once again proved that excellent preservations fetch top prices today (hammer price: 4,200 EUR). In the case of the trihemiobol from Samothrace, lot 89 (estimate 500 EUR), a well-known provenance (Jameson Collection) also ensured that the price rose thirteen times: it was worth 6,500 EUR to the highest bidder.

The magnificent Herakles stater of Abdera, lot 81 (estimate 10,000 EUR), remained almost in a “conventional” area of increase at 24,000 EUR. The early stater of Corinth, lot 122 (estimate 1500 EUR) rose to an impressive 10,000 EUR. Often traded in this quality for around 1,000 EUR, a particularly beautiful drachm by Alexander the Great fetched 2,400 EUR this time with an estimate of 300 EUR.

The title piece, the splendid gold stater with the name of Philip III but a portrait of Alexander, found a happy new owner with 26,000 EUR (estimate 15,000 EUR).

The special demands of the Graeculus Collection (from which all of the following pieces mentioned here originate) in terms of quality, especially small denominations, paid off with a pretty, so far unsatisfactory, lot 168 (estimate 350 EUR) ascribed diobol with a goose: The international bidding war, which was fought between three continents, only ended at a stand of 3,400 EUR.

The drachm of Pharnakes, lot 170 (estimate 5,000 EUR), is one of the best-preserved examples of this type and brought in 18,000 EUR. A particularly charming drachm from Ephesus, lot 226 (estimate 400 EUR) fetched 3,000 EUR. With a drachm from Rhodes, lot 281 (estimate 500 EUR) it was probably the irresistible patina that drove the price to 3,400 EUR.

Even with an excellently preserved stater by Kelenderis, lot 335 (estimate 1,000 EUR), the cabinet toning, which should testify to a long collection history, was probably responsible for the phenomenal increase to 8,000 EUR. Coins associated with Jewish history are always good for surprises anyway. The price of a rare and pretty obol from Gaza, lot 373 (estimate 2,000 EUR), rose to 7,500 EUR. The eighth of a shekel assigned to Hannibal, lot 527 (estimate 200 EUR), was really underestimated. The achieved 6,000 EUR represents thirty times the estimate. With a historically significant dinar that can be ascribed to Al-Malik, lot 620 (estimate 10,000 EUR), the antiquities section ended with 22,000 EUR, a new price record for this very rare type of coin.

Modern Coins

This trend, namely that even optimistic hammer price expectations were in some cases significantly exceeded, continued throughout the auction. The mail pre-bidders, who, with extensive market knowledge, had already generously outbid the moderate estimates, had difficulties in successfully competing with Internet bidders from all over the world. The great attention that our auctions receive between California and Japan, between Norway and Tasmania, can be seen in all collection areas without exception. We share the joy of this with all of the consignors, who have given us their collections in trustworthy hands in order to find exactly the right and highest-bidding enthusiast for each object. This attention can be shown using simple figures. A British 5 sovereign from 1911 was abought by an online bidder for record breaking 7,000 EUR.

Two coins from the first Czechoslovak Republic followed shortly afterwards as the highlights of the auction. An extremely rare 10-fold ducat struck in 1930 found an interested buyer from abroad for whom this coin was worth an impressive 70,000 EUR. Immediately afterwards, a five-fold ducat from the same year was hammered for 30,000 EUR. The interest in East Central European coins, which has persisted for years, also became apparent soon afterwards, when a thaler belonging to County Schlick in amazing condition was raised from 2,500 EUR to 14,000 EUR. Record results were also observed in the field of German feudal coins. A gold medal, occasional on love, ascribed to Augsburg, weighing 20 ducats, changed owners for 18,000 EUR.

The following pretty series of Prussian thalers confirmed the great interest of our customer base in the coins of the Hohenzollern dynasty. The thalers of lots 1249 to 1255 alone brought an added hammer price of 42,700 EUR (with an estimate of 27,000 EUR). Another highlight were some very beautiful coins and medals from Hessen-Homburg, where interested collectors had to fight hard against competition from the Internet and telephone. Also, golden rarities from the Archdiocese of Mainz, a collecting area that was always popular with Peus, produced results that simply have to be mentioned here. A double ducat by Anselm Casimir von Umstadt, year 1642, was raised from an estimate of 7,500 EUR to 10,000 EUR by well-informed customers, and a Rhenish coin-union gold gulden 1626 even to 18,000 EUR. But even below these selected top results, coins in all price ranges found seldom seen prices and happy owners, almost nothing was neglected. The German coins after 1871 achieved roughly the expected hammer prices with some top results in flawless conditions. This trend continues. In general, gold, foreign as well as feudal or imperial German, was particularly hotly contested. Coin scales, dies and a beautiful series of American banknotes were finally auctioned, with the latter being the most likely to find bargains. The results of the final lots showed that the bidders had made ample use of the opportunity to visit the goods in advance. On the second day, the schedule was largely adhered, despite the expected delay caused by online and telephone bidding, and a very successful auction ended on Thursday afternoon with a hammer price that almost doubled the estimate.

For further hammer prices which can’t be mentioned here, please refer to the result list that will be published soon. If you would like to order a copy, please contact Mrs. Patatas under +49-69-95966225 or via email. The results can also be found in the online catalogue on the Peus website.

Unsold pieces may be purchased up to five weeks after the sale for 80% of the estimate under normal conditions of sale, i. e. plus buyers-premium and eventual taxes on the Peus website.