And It Came to Pass in Those Days – Christmas Goodies From Tranquebar and Other Numismatic Treats

The auction kicks off at 2 pm with an absolutely outstanding collection of coins from Tranquebar, built by husband-and-wife team Johnny and Jette Birkegaard Bæhr. Tranquebar, which formed part of the Danish colonies in the East Indies, was a Danish trading outpost on the Coromandel Coast from 1620 to 1845. The small East Indian Kas coin was struck in Tranquebar from the reign of King Christian IV and while the colony was in Danish possession – first in lead, then in copper. The trading post was founded by a fishing village called “Tarangambadi”, which means ‘land of the singing waves’, and which can still be visited to this day. And not since the Knappe/Gray collection was sold in 2000 has a collection even remotely as important been offered on the market.

After the special auction, we continue with a “mixed” coin auction at 3 pm. It is veritably teeming with unusual items, however, starting with a section of Niels Bro Rasmussen’s well minted, attractively toned and historically interesting silver coins struck during the Roman Republic. Four denarius types struck during the reign of Emperor Augustus are not something you find every day, and what better time for them to go under the hammer than this very month, when the entire Christian world hears Augustus referred to in the first verse of The Annunciation to the Shepherds.

The Danish section begins with a remarkable series of rare pennies from the early Middle Ages and the reign of King Valdemar. And from the subsequent troubled “Civil War period”, we have a suite of pennies of a quality not normally found in this type of coin. These come from Peter Preuss’ collection, which had its own section in the autumn Catalogue Auction. Another renowned collection, also introduced at the Catalogue Auction, was the first part of Per Henriksen’s unique collection of banknotes. Our Online Auction on 10 December will be the first in a long list of Online Auctions where this collection is up for auction. Each one is different, and the quality is unswervingly top notch, so it’s important to be there from the start.

Whether it’s medieval German bracteates, Renaissance coins from the Vatican City or Danish baroque medals you’re after, you won’t be disappointed at this auction. 687 is a lot of catalogue numbers, but don’t miss out on the joy of studying it all closely.