November 16-18, 2015
Heidelberger Muenzhandlung Herbert Gruen
Auction 66

Heidelberger Muenzhandlung presents spectacular collection of Bavarian coins and medals featuring nearly 2,000 lots

About 5,200 lots will be sold during the Fall Sale of the Heidelberger Muenzhandlung. The sale is highlighted by the R.W. Collection, a high-caliber collection of Bavarian coins and medals. Pre-1871 Germany, the Holy Roman Empire, and the foreign countries are also well represented, as is the German Empire.

From November 16 to 18, 2015, nearly 5,200 lots will be sold at the Europaeischer Hof / Heidelberg. As always, Herbert Gruen offers an interesting range of numismatic material, dating from ancient to modern times. The sale is highlighted by many rarities and interesting fractions in remarkable grades as they are rarely encountered on the market.

The auction sale will start with almost 200 ancient coins - Celtic, Greek, Roman, and Byzantine - offering a number of aurei at collector-friendly estimates.

Roughly 1,200 lots featuring world coins will be next. Geographically, they come from all over the world, starting with 'A' as in Albania to 'V' like Venezuela. In this section, the connoisseur discovers outstanding material in the finest grades, especially in the lower price range. The material includes minor issues of great importance. With their untouched beauty, they are much harder to come by than coins in the weight of a thaler and gold coins. As you will see, the offer of course comprises the latter categories as well.

A telling example is the series of Greek coins, which not only features the 5 drachm which used to circulate in the greater part of Europe due to Greece's participation in the Latin Monetary Union. Here, Greek change can be found as well, and in the best grades imaginable, like a 1845 1/4 drachm struck in Athens in extremely fine to FDC. This extremely rare item is estimated at 3,000 euros, a lot of money compared to the estimate of a perfect 10 lepta struck 1833 in Munch, which is estimated at as little as 100 euros.

Collectors of US American coins will appreciate the rich offer in their section featuring, among others, a large series of half dollars in the best grades.

The Holy Roman Empire is likewise well-represented. We would like to mention a series of coins of Emperor Francis Joseph, offering all rarities in the finest grades possible, like a commemorative thaler on the inauguration of the Carl-Ludwig-Haus on the Raxalpe as well as a two commemorative double gulden, the first struck on the occasion of the 400th anniversary of the minting of the very first thaler in 1884, the second on the re-opening of the Kuttenberg silver mines in 1887.

Gruen puts a special emphasis on pre-1871 Germany. The range from Anhalt to Wuerzburg would constitute of 700 lots, were it not for a special collection listed under the letter 'B' for Bavaria: it is the R.W. Collection featuring Bavarian coins and medals. It has been assembled on the basis of the renowned Wittelsbach catalog and therefore also comprises the coinages of the Bavarian branches. Hence, we would like to encourage not only the collectors of Bavaria but also the aficionados of the Netherlands, of Tyrol, Cologne, and Greece, for example, to have a close look at the catalogue.

R.W. aspired to collect the full Wittelsbach catalog and was thus forced to make some compromises in terms of grades. Though the collection offered for sale does not include the spectacular top-class rarities in the most remarkable grades, all true admirers of Bavaria will nevertheless rejoice at this material, so comprehensive and rich, so reasonably estimated. About 2,000 lots will cross the auction block on November 17, 2015. An individual catalog is devoted to this special collection. It takes the potential buyer as little money as a 20 euro note to place a bid and see if he or she might become the lucky winner of, for example, a Medieval pfennig dating from the 13th century. This section not only includes the minor issues but likewise thaler-like coins and ducats, not all of which are prefect but collector-friendly estimated. The many rarities should not go unnoticed, including many unique specimens, some of which are very likely to be unpublished yet!

Let us return to pre-1871 Germany. All together, the range of numismatic offers features spectacular high-denomination silver coins, as the Augsburg 1627 double thaler estimated at 15,000 euros, attractive gold coins, as a 1834 10 thaler piecce of William of Brunwick-Wolfenbuettel, and minor issues in excellent grades, as a Dortmund 1754 1/24 thaler graded good extremely fine, estimated at 125 euros. Interesting specimens in exceptional grades are available in the two-digit range. The latest catalog of the Heidelberger Muenzhandlung is a good prove for the fact that coin collecting is a worthy hobby for everybody, regardless of how much money he or she is able to spend.

Anyone who has ever browsed through the Jaeger is well aware of the fact that the Heidelberger Muenzhandlung is the expert for rare German imperial coinages in the most remarkable grades. This catalog vouches for the truth of it, offering not only a complete type collection of the German gold issues but superb minor issues and spectacular silver coins as well. We would like to highlight a 2 mark from Saxe-Coburg-Gotha of which only 100 specimens have been struck on the occasion of the hereditary prince's christening in 1911. No photographic image could remotely capture the appeal of this first strike.

The coins from the Weimar Republic are next in line, followed by the FRG and the GDR, as well as the dependencies, the patterns and mint errors.

The auction sale will be concluded by a larger offer of paper money, including a very fine series of French specimens.

The catalog may be ordered for a fee of 12,50 euros at the Heidelberger Muenzhandlung Herbert Gruen, Gaisbergstrasse 40, 69115 Heidelberg; phone ++49 / 6221 / 65 297-0; telefax ++49 / 6221 / 65 297-29; email: kontakt@hdmhg.de or at http://www.hdmhg.de/pgs/Katalog/_Katalog.html This is likewise the address at which the catalog can be viewed on the internet.

Lot 142: ANTONINUS PIUS, 138-161. Aureus. Consecratio under Marcus Aurelius. Rv. CONSECRATIO funeral pyre. RIC 435. Extremely fine. Estimate: 5,000,- euros

Lot 585: GREECE. Otto of Bavaria, 1832-1862. 1/4 drachm 1845, Athens. Divo 16c. Extremely rare. Extremely fine to FDC. Estimate: 3,000,- euros

Lot 1135: CHINA. Kwangtung. Dollar n. d. (1889). Dav. 181. Extremely rare. Small rim nick, very fine. Estimate: 30,000,- euros

Lot 1137: CHINA. Szechuan. 20 cents n. d. (1898), pattern. KM Pn11. Very rare! Graded PCGS SP63 mint state. Estimate: 18,000,- euros

Lot 1303: USA. Dime 1759 (1965, of Edward Grove), pattern. Extremely rare. Extremely fine. Estimate: 7,500,- euros

Lot 1475: HRE. Charles VI, 1711-1740. 5 ducats 1722, Prague, yield from the Eule Mine. Mues. 6/24. Extremely rare. Small trace of mounting, nearly extremely fine. Estimate: 16,000,- euros

Lot 1578: HRE. Francis Joseph, 1848-1916. Commemorative double gulden 1884 of the Vienna Numismatic Society on the 400th anniversary of the minting of the first thaler. Thun 466. Extremely rare. Nearly FDC. Estimate: 7,500,- euros

Lot 1658: GERMANY. Augsburg. Double thaler 1627. Dav. 5030. Very rare. Good very fine. Estimate: 15,000,- euros

Lot 1712: GERMANY. Brunswick-Wolfenbuettel. 10 thaler 1834, variant without star. AKS 65 note. Very rare. Good extremely fine. Estimate: 5,000,- euros

Lot 2838: GERMAN EMPIRE. Saxe-Coburg-Gotha. 20 mark 1872. J. 270. Rarest imperial gold coin type of all. Very fine / extremely fine. Estimate: 65,000,- euros

Lot 4128: W. COLLECTION BAVARIA. Charles Theodore, 1777-1799. 3 ducats 1787. Witt. 2322. Hahn 352. Extremely fine. Estimate: 8,000,- euros