Good news for coin collectors!

Historical gold medals are coveted by collectors worldwide, and this category also features one of the auction’s most remarkable highlights. The medal in question is a medal struck in 1822 to celebrate King Frederik VI’s return to health. The medal stands as a testament to the king’s popularity among his subjects – cast in substantial numbers in both silver and iron financed through the voluntary contributions of citizens and civil servants. Unknown to both numismatic literature and the Royal Collection of Coins and Medals at the National Museum of Denmark, the gold specimen presented here is truly sensational. The auction also features an elegant suite of commemorative medals relating to H.M. Queen Margrethe II, including pieces marking the royal couple’s golden wedding anniversary in 2017, Prince Henrik’s death in 2018 and the queen’s 40th jubilee in 2012. The suite was presented as a gift to a member of the royal household.

A string of ancient coins from Greece and the Roman Empire have also found their way to the auction. Some of them are from Niels Hannestad’s collection. As professor emeritus of classical archaeology at Aarhus University, his profound knowledge of the ancient world is unmistakably evident in this distinguished collection. Among the offerings is an EL-Stater from c. 310–270 BC, depicting the beautiful goddess Tanit on its obverse. The lot with the highest estimate is, however, an English Sovereign struck in 1553–54, depicting Queen Mary on her throne on the obverse, while the reverse bears the Tudor rose with its distinctive five inner and outer petals – the dynasty’s iconic symbol.