Buried Treasure Trove of Coins Heads to Historic Auction

A vast coin collection, buried underground in hiding from the Nazis, has been unearthed after more than half a century and will be gradually auctioned through 2028, a process that is expected to generate well in excess of $100 million. The Traveller Collection includes 15,000 coins from around the globe, dating from antiquity to the modern era.

“This is the most valuable numismatic collection ever to come to auction in its entirety,” said Arturo Russo, director of Numismatica Ars Classica (NAC). “The vast range and superb quality of the coins offered, the sheer number of great rarities, and the fascinating story of the collection’s formation will make these sales a landmark in the history of numismatics.”

A European numismatist, who the auction house is not identifying, began assembling the coins after the 1929 stock market crash. He spent the 1930s traveling with his wife through Europe and the Americas, purchasing rare and beautiful coins. He documented each coin purchase and stored the treasures in cigar boxes. Fearing a Nazi invasion of his country, the collector buried the coins in aluminum boxes on his property. He died shortly after the Nazi invasion. NAC has not revealed whether he was murdered by the Nazis.

The coins remained underground for more than 50 years, having only recently been unearthed by the collector’s heirs.

The collection includes:

·      A 100 ducat gold coin of Ferdinand III of Habsburg, dated 1629, estimated to be worth over $1.3 million.

·      A set of Persian gold Tomans from the Qajar dynasty, one of only five known sets, expected to fetch $1.7-$2.3 million.

·      A George III 1777 Pattern Five Guinea piece, one of only seven known, with an estimated value of $340,000.