High Demand for South American Coins at Emporium Hamburg

Emporium Hamburg held its annual Spring Auction from May 13 to 16, 2024. As tradition dictates, the auction began with the Ancient coins. Particularly popular were the regions of Thrace, with both staters and drachmas, and Cilicia. A significant highlight was an aureus from the Roman Empire, minted in Rome in 76 AD under Vespasian. Estimated at 8,750 euros, it sold for 12,500 euros (Lot 300).

• Lot 82. Greece, Thrace / Istros. AR Drachm (400-350 BC), ef. Estimate: 200 Euro. Hammer price: 580 Euro.
• Lot 163. Asia Minor, Cilicia / Incertum. AR Stater (ca. 465-430 BC), vf-ef. Estimate: 2.500 Euro. Hammer price: 3,900 Euro.

Lot 300.

• Lot 300. Roman Empire, Vespasian. AV Aureus (76 AD), Rome, vf-ef. Estimate: 8.750 Euro. Hammer price: 12,500 Euro.

In recent years, South America has been particularly appreciated by numismatic collectors. There has been a growing demand for historical coins from countries such as Bolivia, Brazil, Guatemala, and Peru. Turning our attention further to a colonial point of view on countries like Great Britain, India, and the USA, we also see sustained interest. However, we don’t need to look across the ocean – the lots from neighboring Belgium were almost completely auctioned off and often fetched multiples of their estimated prices. This is a historically interesting collecting area, which, with three-digit prices, can also be financially attractive in the long term.

• Lot 904. Belgium, Philipp IV. Ducaton 1633, Antwerp, vf. Estimate: 100 Euro. Hammer price: 360 Euro.
• Lot 955. Brazil, Minas Gerais, 960 Reis n.d. (1808) with counterstamp, vf. Estimate: 140 Euro. Hammer price: 400 Euro.
• Lot 1110. India, Victoria. 1 Mohur 1841, East India Company, attractive coin, unc. Estimate: 6,800 Euro. Hammer price: 8,400 Euro.

((02 – Lot 1281.))

• Lot 1281. Peru. ½ Real 1900 LM, Ayacucho, rare, ef. Estimate: 100 Euro. Hammer price: 1,400 Euro.
• Lot 1543. United States of America. Dollar 1905, Louis & Clark Exposition, ef/unc. Estimate: 620 Euro. Hammer price: 1,000 Euro.

One of the highest bids of the auction was for an intriguing piece from the Habsburg era: the 10 Ducats n.d. from Vienna, minted under Ferdinand III (1637-1657) (Lot 1680). These SALVATOR MUNDI specimen were awarded as merit medals by the city of Vienna starting in 1575 and hold a special place among Habsburg rarities. In the German territories, we were particularly pleased with the lively bidding activity in the Hamburg section, both for the Reichstalers as well as the silver and bronze medals. In the Diocese of Constance, a bracteate from the mid-13th century led to a true bidding thriller. The rare specimen in excellent condition, minted under Eberhard II of Waldburg-Thann, reached a final price of 1,400 euros against an estimate of 300 euros (Lot 2106). Additionally, the featured item, 15 rupees 1916 T, a historical witness to German colonial history in East Africa, lived up to its reputation with an impressive final price of 3,900 euros (Lot 3131).

Lot 1680.

• Lot 1680. House Habsburg, Ferdinand III. 10 Ducats n.d., Vienna, SALVATOR MUNDI, very rare, vf-ef. Estimate: 10,000 Euro. Hammer price: 16,000 Euro.
• Lot 1778. Tirol, Leopold Archduke. Double Reichsthaler n.d. (1626) on behalf of the wedding with Claudia of Medici, vf-ef. Estimate: 660 Euro. Hammer price: 1,000 Euro.
• Lot 1915. Brunswick-Lüneburg, Calenberg-Hannover, Ernst August. Thaler 1697 RB, Zellerfeld, vf/ef. Estimate: 600 Euro. Hammer price: 900 Euro.
• Lot 2051. Hamburg, Town. Silver medal 1863 from H. Lorenz on the inauguration of the church of St. Nicholas, ef/unc. Estimate: 100 Euro. Hammer price: 720 Euro.

Lot 2106.

• Lot 2106. Diocese of Constance, Eberhard II of Waldburg-Thann. Bracteate (ca. 1250/1270), ef. Estimate: 300 Euro. Hammer price: 1,400 Euro.
• Lot 3131. Colonies, German East Africa. 15 Rupien 1916 T, ef. Estimate: 3,500 Euro. Hammer price: 3,900 Euro.