Künker Offers 350th Auction on 50th Anniversary

The first Taler of Brandenburg is also the first Brandenburg Taler to feature a portrait of the ruler. Joachim I established his numismatic importance with this 1521 Taler, which sold for roughly $184,000. Only 23 examples have survived to the present, most in museums.

Künker’s Spring Auction Sales 2021 again illustrated that prices are currently at an all-time high. The total result amounted to over $13 million, almost double the estimate of about $6.75 million. The sales attracted bidders from around the globe, 2,300 of them participated in the auction, with many folks checking in live via the internet.

A great old collection of Roman Alexandria composed of 325 lots created some excitement. The high prices achieved were revealing in that most bidders are presumed to be collectors, as opposed to investors, making these results a strong indicator of the conviction of this highly educated collecting base.

The Tesmer Collection of Brandenburg-Prussia coinage was a second attention grabber. This collection centers on an extremely popular area and makes such an extensive offering that everyone in numismatics took notice.

There were 60 lots that cracked the 10,000-euro mark, each selling for over U.S. $14,000. We present just a couple of these here for your enjoyment, but then we must shift our attention to a quick rundown of Künker’s upcoming 350th Auction set to take place during the seminal 50th Anniversary of the founding of Münzenhandlung Fritz Rudolf Künker.

This is the second known specimen of the Brandenburg KM#584, a 1692 1/2 reichstaler of Frederick III struck at the Minden mint. It sold for about $78,000, which feels to me like a crazy good bargain.

Künker’s 350th auction will take place in three sessions from 29 June to 1 July 2021. This is another highlight of Künker’s anniversary year because on 1 July 1971, exactly 50 years ago, Münzenhandlung Fritz Rudolf Künker was founded. Even though it isn’t known yet whether the COVID situation in Osnabrück will allow for bidders to participate in the sale in person, the material on offer is sure to attract worldwide attention.

Many great rarities from Germany and the world will change hands during the three auction days. The finest specimens of several extensive private collections can be found in the catalog, for example coins and medals from Bavaria, Brandenburg-Prussia, Bremen, Hesse, Lübeck, the Palatinate and Würzburg. Another part of the fabulous Popken Collection with selected lösers, multiple talers, from Brandenburg will certainly be the highlight of the auction sale.

This 10 reichstaler of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel was struck in 1638 at Zellerfeld to celebrate the emperor’s confirmation of succession. This massive löser is estimated to sell for more than $210,000.

The 350th Auction will offer 51 impressive lösers, from the second part of the Friedrich Popken Collection. Many of the pieces are extremely rare, some are the only specimens available on the market. One example is the 7 reichstalers from 1620 minted by Frederick Ulrich of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel. Its iconic design features the duke in armor with a high hat sitting on a magnificently decorated horse. This is the only example of this type currently available on the market.

The rarest piece to be offered is a löser of an impressive 291.05 gram weight, worth 10 reichstalers. It features Augustus the Younger with baton, sitting on a horse, riding through a detailed mining landscape. With an estimate of over $210,000, this coin is the löser anticipated to be the greatest highlight of the second part of the Popken Collection.

A löser of 8 reichstalers minted in 1654 under Christian Louis of Brunswick-Lüneburg-Celle will also be offered. It is suspected to be the only example of this type available for collecting, with other examples confined to museums. It features the crowned monogram of the prince on the obverse, and the horse of Brunswick crowned with a laurel featured above a city view of Celle on the reverse. This wonderful piece with an estimate of just over $140,000 has already attracted the attention of many collectors and carries a prestigious pedigree line which includes Virgil Brand and Dr. Koch.

A Christian Louis 1654 8 reichstaler of Brunswick-Lüneburg-Celle, perhaps the only specimen available on the market, is expected to sell for over $140,000. Notice the small 8 in oval stamped in at the bottom of the obverse. While all multiple Talers are measured by weight, some also carry a denomination mark such as this.

But these are only a few of the stellar highlights to be sold in Auction 350. So vast is this offering that we count 1,727 German coins alone. There are also huge sections of world coinage of the highest caliber, including a large number of 19th and 20th century world coins, many gold ducats, medals from around the world and an impressive collection of coins of the Hapsburg hereditary lands and Austria.

We can’t cover it all, but you can view them all on the Künker website at www.kuenker.de or order a print catalog directly from the firm at Künker, Nobbenburger Straße 4a, 49076 Osnabrück, Germany. If you are short on time contact the firm by phone at: +49 541 962020, fax: +49 541 9620222; or via e-mail at: service@kuenker.de. Bidders will want to register on the website well ahead of the sales dates to ensure that no opportunities are missed to obtain some of these great items.

Tom MichaelAuthor