A substantial coin collection, much of it buried underground for over five decades, is anticipated to command over $100 million at auction, as experts predict. Known as The Traveller Collection, this assortment, believed to be the priciest ever to hit the auction block, will be gradually auctioned off over the next three years, with the first sale scheduled for May 20.
However, what truly sets this valuable coin assortment apart is its extraordinary origin story. Consisting of coins from more than 100 regions worldwide, dating back to ancient times up to the present day, the collection is set to be auctioned by Numismatica Ars Classica. What makes it particularly unique is the fact that the majority of these coins had been buried underground for fifty years.
As per a press release shared with CNN, the original collector, whose identity remains undisclosed, began acquiring gold coins after the 1929 Wall Street Crash. With a penchant for coins of historical significance, beauty, and rarity, he eventually amassed around 15,000 coins. Throughout the 1930s, he and his wife traveled extensively across the Americas and Europe, acquiring rare and historically significant coins and meticulously documenting their purchases.
Despite the looming threat of Hitler’s Nazi party in Europe, the couple eventually settled on the continent. Anticipating danger, the coins were carefully packed into cigar boxes, then transferred to aluminum boxes and buried underground, where they remained for fifty years.
Upon retrieval by the collector’s heirs, the coins were safeguarded in a bank vault before being presented for auction. Due to the family’s privacy concerns, further details regarding the coins’ concealment and discovery have not been disclosed.
The collector’s meticulous records facilitated the auction house team in researching the coins’ provenance and value, with some coins tracing back to auctions of renowned collections from the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
One of the prized pieces is a 100 ducat gold coin from 1629 featuring Ferdinand III of Habsburg during his reign as Archduke of Austria, King of Hungary, Croatia, and Bohemia. Weighing 348.5 grams of fine gold, it stands as one of the largest denominations of European gold coins ever minted.
Another highlight is an “exceedingly rare” set of five Tomans minted in Tehran and Isfahan in the late 18th and early 19th centuries by Agha Mohammad Khan Qajar. Only five complete sets of this kind are known to exist, with one residing in the collection.
The Ashmolean Museum in Oxford, UK, is set to host a significant event in the field of numismatics. Arturo Russo, the director of Numismatica Ars Classica, expressed his excitement about the upcoming sales, highlighting the extraordinary range and quality of the coins, the abundance of rare pieces, and the captivating history behind the collection. David Guest, director of David Guest Numismatics and a consultant to the collection, marveled at the British coins from the Traveller Collection, noting their exceptional quality and the rarity of some types that had not been seen on the market for over 80 years or were previously unknown. To stay updated on this and other news, sign up for CNN newsletters by creating an account on CNN.com.
