15 Million Euros in One Day! The Top Five of Künker’s Berlin Auction Sale

It was a true sensation that kicked off the World Money Fair: Künker held its 418th auction sale, presenting many items that are currently fetching top results on the market. Heavy gold multiples of excellent condition in particular attracted an international audience to attend the auction room, where bids were placed from 10 am to well after 8 pm. 705 lots crossed the auction block. The total estimate had been an impressive 10 million euros. The total result was 50% higher, amounting to a staggering 15 million euros. Especially rarities from the second part of the collection “Minted History of the Thirty Years’ War and the Peace of Westphalia – The Collection of a German Manufacturer and History Enthusiast” caused a sensation. The proud collector will be pleased about the result of 5.8 million euros for his 96 lots.

In this review, we present the top 5 results of Künker’s Berlin Auction Sale.

Top 5

The probably unique gold löser of 20 ducats by Christian the Elder, Administrator of Minden and Duke of Brunswick, realized 200,000 euros and is therefore in 5th place of Künker’s Top Five. The impressive piece of 69.87 g shows on one side the duke in full armour on a rearing warhorse, a commander’s baton in his right hand. The translation of the circumscription reads: justice and concord. The coin was minted by the short-lived mint of Winsen (Luhe) set up by Christian the Elder in 1619. It was only in operation until 1626.

Top 4

Two coins from today’s Poland are among Künker’s top five. This shows how strong the collecting community in this country in the heart of Europe is. 220,000 euros were achieved by the first of the two pieces, making it top 4 in our ranking. It is a splendidly preserved 8-fold ducat of the city of Gdańsk, presenting a magnificent city view on the reverse. The translation of the circumscription reads: The royal city of Gdańsk had [me] minted. The reverse depicts the Polish king Wladyslaw IV, who, according to the circumscription of the coin, was also ruler of Sweden and Russia. However – just in theory. In practice he did not hold these offices. The coin depicts him with all his titles and royal insignia: crown, orb and sceptre. The great rarity of the piece, but even more its quality combined with the sharply minted motif and its exceptional lustre will have tempted the buyer to place a bid of 220,000 euros.

Top 3

Albrecht von Wallenstein was one of the most fascinating persons of early modern times. His outstanding military skills, his pragmatic economic policies that contrasted with his fondness for astrology, his steep rise and his sudden fall make the great Catholic opponent of the Swedish king interesting to us today. That is why his coins have repeatedly fetched record prices, especially when it is a gold multiple such as this 10-fold ducat of 1631 offered in Künker’s Berlin Auction Sale. The coin had an estimate of 100,000 euros. It was sold for almost two and a half times as much: 240,000 euros. Therefore, it came in third in Künker’s Top Five.

Top 2

Lot No. 305 is the only silver issue in this ranking, and it is also the only silver issue among all 27 lots that realized a six-digit result in Künker’s auction 418. It is a silver medal from 1521, featuring the portrait of Charles V on the obverse. This mere fact tells us that the piece must be something truly special. And indeed, it was the Nuremberg Renaissance artist Albrecht Dürer himself who created the draft for the issue. One of the most important German engravers, Hans Krafft from Nuremberg, was commissioned to create this highly demanding issue. His wage illustrates how special this masterpiece is. Two to five guldens were paid for normal dies. For this issue, he received about thirty times as much: 150 guldens! The Nuremberg city council was generous. After all, the pieces were intended to be given to Emperor Charles V himself. They wanted to present him with an impressive testimony to the craftsmanship of the city. We know that the city council had 167 specimens of this medal minted. They were supposed to be distributed at the Imperial Diet. But the event did not take place, so almost all of them were melted down again. Today, we know of thirteen originals, nine of which are kept by museums.

Therefore, it should not come a s a surprise that a connoisseur was willing to pay 250,000 euros for this piece of history. Therefore, this impressive Renaissance medal is top 2 in Künker’s ranking.

Top 1

The highest result of the auction sale was realized by another extremely rare coin from Poland. The 10-ducat piece from 1629 was minted in Bromberg, today’s Bydgoszcz. 1629 – that is a year that attracts the attention of any expert in Polish history. An important war was waged between Poland and Sweden between 1626 and 1629. This may sound weird at first. After all, Sigismund III was a member of the Swedish Vasa dynasty, as the central coat of arms on the reverse of the coin shows. The coat of arms with the three crowns also indicates that Sigismund himself claimed to rule Sweden. In reality, things were different. His uncle had taken the rule of Sweden from him, and his uncle’s son, Gustavus Adolphus II, repeatedly invaded Poland. He also did so between 1626 and 1629. In 1629, he conquered the royal city of Bromberg for a short time. He gave it back after the Truce of Altmark, which gave him the largest part of Livonia, including the rich city of Riga. This provided him with the necessary funds to interfere in the Thirty Years’ War.

We do not know when exactly the 10-fold ducat from Bromberg was minted, and whether it was before or after the conquest. The laurel wreath around the crowned monogram of Sigismundus Tertius Rex could indicate that he was referring to the truce and the liberation of Bromberg as a victory. In any case, the piece is extremely rare, has a fresh and sharp minting and an extraordinary lustre. Its new owner considered it worthy of a 340,000 euro bid, more than double its estimate.

Do not be misled by these results. Even though coins are now considered investment objects around the globe, collectors with a small budget also have a good chance of finding an exciting topic for their collection. However, Künker’s Berlin Auction Sale is probably not the best place to go for them as they are more likely to find their favourites in Künker’s web shop or in one of the many e-Live and e-Live Premium Auctions.