Big Auction Week at Rapp in Switzerland

Rapp Auctions in Wil, St. Gallen, Switzerland, will be holding its auction week from 13–18 November. The auction will include 7 different auction catalogues. First up on 14 November will be an exquisite selection of individual philatelic items and collections, followed by decorative arts with an outstanding collection of Art Nouveau sculptures and objects. On Wednesday 15 November in the afternoon, coins, medals, banknotes and orders will be auctioned along with interesting sports and various other memorabilia. In total, more than 420 auction lots will be on offer. Select and precious individual pieces and a host of interesting collections, inventories and accumulations from all over the world. Almost all of them have been consigned by private individuals, so that most of the items at Rapp are straight from the collector’s hand, or have been tucked away somewhere for a couple of generations. The auction will then continue with an impressive range of jewellery, watches, designer handbags and wine. Rapp Auctions are delighted to be able to present the largest and most valuable selection of jewellery in the company’s history.

A Wide Variety of Items for Numismatic Collectors

Anyone who has been following Rapp Auctions for some time knows that only offering items individually if they are particularly exquisite and premium has proven to be a successful policy. Intact collections, lots and inventories are intentionally offered at an attractive starting price. The 420 auction lots to be called on Wednesday, 15 November from 1:30pm comprise, as usual, many interesting collections and inventories. There is a considerable number of collections and accumulations of Swiss cantonal coins, and smaller collections of antiquity coins from the Middle Ages. Of course, we also have various attractive inventories of coins from the Roman Empire of the German Nation and a host of other significant inventories.

Rare Individual Pieces From Around the World

• Lot 1097 – Salvator Mundi Medal.

• Lot 1093 – Coronation Medal 1830, Coronation of Franz I King of Hungary.

• Lot 1090 – Thaler Albrecht Wallenstein 1632.

• Lot 1057 – Elizabeth I (1558–1603), A fantastic rarity in British numismatics, minted during the famous Queen’s later years; of outstanding rarity.

• Lot 1147 – Uri, Altdorf pistole 1635.
• Lot 1163 – Splendid pair Helvetic Republic 16 and 32 francs.
• Lot 1320 – Inventions and Discoveries of China Series 1994 with 5x 50 Yuan (series III).

Rapp has a fine selection of superb numismatic treasures for you. Among them is a rare Salvator Mundi Medal (n.d., after 1843) for 24 ducats, and a valuable medal for 15 ducats that was issued on the occasion of the coronation of Franz I King of Hungary in 1830. Another interesting item is an Albrecht Wallenstein thaler from 1632. The gold coin Elizabeth I (1558–1603) in excellent condition is a particularly fine item of outstanding rarity. There are also some special pieces from Switzerland, such as a coin from the canton of Uri, pistole (n.d.) (1635 from Altdorf) and an exceptional pair of 16 francs and 32 francs from the Helvetic Republic. As usual, Rapp Auctions also has some Chinese coins on offer, this time it is the rare Inventions and Discoveries of China Series 1994 with 5x 50 Yuan (series III).

Sports Memorabilia and Rare Items From Rome and the Vatican

• Lot 1344 – In recognition of his achievements, Kurt Gassmann (football official) received the official Diploma of the 1928 Amsterdam Olympic Games.

• Lot 1345 – Official Winner’s Diploma St. Moritz 1928.
• Lot 1354 – Original Olympic flag for the 1948 Winter Olympics St. Moritz.

• Lot 1372 – 1954 FIFA World Cup roll of honour.
• Lot 1365 – Photo album international matches/FIFA.

Kurt Gassmann documented his travels across Europe with the Swiss football delegation with 240 photos. The album also contains pictures from when he represented the Swiss Football Association at the FIFA Conference of 1929 in Barcelona. Rapp Auctions will be auctioning the second part of Kurt Gassmann’s estate in November 2023. Gassmann was co-organiser of the 1948 St. Moritz Olympics and FIFA secretary general from 1951 to 1960. Next to Olympic Medals, various Olympic Diplomas, his estate also includes the official Olympic flag of St. Moritz (of which there were only two large ones). Furthermore, the collection contains interesting football memorabilia, such as various photo albums with unique, private photos of the Swiss team at the time, as they travelled to various matches, tournaments and world championships. The FIFA roll of honour from 1954 is particularly noteworthy. It was presented to Kurt Gassmann in recognition of his work as secretary general. In its entirety, Kurt Gassmann’s estate is testimony of an eventful and remarkable life completely devoted to international sports.

Estate of a Roman Family

• Lot 1284 – Holy See, two copies of the Gold Medal of Honour and Merit of Pius IX of the Roman Archginnasio, 1866.

• Lot 1282 – Keystone 1825 Holy See – Keystone used for bricking up the Holy Door in St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome in the Holy Year 1825.
• Lot 1283 – Keystone 1975 Holy See – Keystone used for bricking up the Holy Door in St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome in the Holy Year 1975.

Everything You Need to Know About Viewings and the Auction

This year, viewing will start with a vernissage on 2 November 2023. Afterwards, the auction lots can be viewed on various dates. Please register for viewing.