The auction house calls the estate of Lars Emil Bruun “the most valuable collection” that has ever come onto the market, the auction house reports. Sky News.
The magnate Lars Emil Bruun stipulated in his will that the collection of 20,000 coins, which he collected throughout his life, had to be kept for 100 years before it could be sold. Sky News writes about this.
This fall, more than a century after the millionaire’s death, New York auctioneer Stack Bowers will finally sell his unique collection. It is reported that some examples can fetch up to £800,000, and in general the entire legacy is around £60 million.
Lars Bruun, born in 1852, became wealthy through his dairy business and had an interesting hobby: collecting rare coins, medals, tokens and banknotes from Denmark, Norway and Sweden.
After the First World War, the wealthy man noted in his will that his collection should serve as a reserve for the royal fund in Copenhagen if it were destroyed.
When Bruun died, his collection was transferred to his former Danish residence at Frederiksborg Castle and then to the National Bank of Denmark.
Before the treasures were put up for auction, the National Museum acquired seven rare coins: six gold and one silver, using the right of first refusal. These exhibits were minted around the 15th-17th centuries. Danish or Norwegian monarchs and cost more than 877 thousand pounds sterling.
“They are described in the literature as the only existing specimen of their kind. The fact that this collection was closed for a hundred years makes it a legend. It looks like a fairy tale,” says senior researcher and expert at the National Museum Helle Horsnaes.
