A Collector’s Legacy: Ivor Brecker’s Coin Collection Commands Strong Results at Auction
Ivor Brecker’s numismatic treasures drew intense bidding at Noonans Mayfair, with the sale realizing £82,970 ($107,205 USD)—more than double the low estimate. A dedicated collector since 1959, Brecker’s lifelong passion for coins shone through in this record-breaking auction.
British and World coins from Ivor Brecker's collection fetched a hammer price of £82,970 – 228% higher than the low estimate—when offered at Noonans Mayfair today (Tuesday, March 11, 2025). Ivor Brecker (1934–2024) started collecting coins seriously in 1959 and remained interested in numismatics throughout his life, still adding to his collection in his final year.
As his children recall: “The Brecker collection, which mainly comprised British, Russian and Mexican coins represented a fascinating insight into the world of coin collecting in London 60 years ago, when coin fairs were almost unknown, and most collectors purchased their coins from one of the major dealers of the day. Our father was meticulous in keeping track of sales and dealers’ offerings and improving and expanding his collection as better examples became available.”
Prior to the sale, Peter Preston-Morley, Special Projects Director (Numismatics) at Noonans explained: “Mr Brecker curated a fine collection of English coins, being meticulous in ensuring he found examples from every monarch from Saxon times on and from the different denominations produced for each monarch. He loved Russian music, particularly the great operas of Rimsky Korsakov and Tchaikovsky, and would keep returning to Boris Godunov, following his favourite singers in the role at the Royal Opera Covent Garden and on disc. This kindled his interest in collecting coins from the Russian tsars, and he amassed a fine series. Travel in Mexico in the 1960s triggered his collection of Mexican coins from Spanish colonial times and the Republic.”
He continued: “Sadly, Ivor passed away in May 2024, just after his 90th birthday, but he wanted his coins to be appreciated by enthusiasts and not to languish in a cupboard on his passing.”
After the sale, Mr Preston-Morley added: “There were 84 different buyers from all over the world, with the Mexican and Russian elements of the collection being particularly sought after. This was a great little time capsule of coins mostly collected 60 years ago, and a huge pleasure for us to bring back to the market.”
The auction was 100% sold and among the highlights was a Charles I Oxford half-pound which fetched a hammer price of £3,800, against an estimate of £2,800-3,200 and was bought by a UK private collector [lot 52]; while a silver William and Mary Coronation medal dating from 1689 that was in brilliant mint state sold for a hammer price of £3,200, also to a UK buyer against an estimate of £800-1,000 [lot 66] and a Russian Coronation Rouble dating from 1896 and the reign of Nicholas II realised a hammer price of £2,400 – almost five times its pre-sale estimate and was purchased by a buyer from the Czech Republic [lot 161].
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