For more than 100 years, one of the most valuable private collections of coins in the world has been kept out of the public eye. It's been stowed away in a secret location that almost no one knows - and before that, behind the walls of a castle and in the basement of a bank.

This fall, it will go on sale - and is expected to fetch up to $72 million. It is the most valuable world coin collection to ever come to market, according to Stack's Bowers, the American rare coin dealer and auction house handling the sale.

The collection of nearly 20,000 coins, medals, bank notes and books was assembled over the course of decades by Danish businessman and butter magnate Lars Emil Bruun.

Bruun, who died in 1923, stipulated in his will that his collection should not be sold for a century after his death. After experiencing the ravages of World War I, Bruun declared it should be kept in reserve to replace the Danish national collection should it ever be destroyed in a war or through other misfortune, such as a fire.

Since the Danish Royal Collection of Coins and Medals is still intact, Bruun's collection will now be sold with the proceeds benefiting his heirs.

The upcoming sale has attracted outsize attention, in part because of the air of attached to it, said Helle Horsnæs, a senior researcher at Denmark's National Museum.

But it's also because of the unique nature of the collection, which captures centuries of Scandinavian history, including a time when Denmark and Norway were united under one same kingdom from the 16th to the early 19th century, Horsnæs said.

Bruun's grandson was involved in an effort to negotiate a direct sale of the collection to the National Museum of Denmark, he said. But Danish authorities prevented the sale, saying it went against Bruun's will, according to Johnsen. Authorities only authorized the sale of a small number of coins, Johnsen said, to help cover insurance costs.

Once the 100-year mark passed, the National Museum still had first rights to purchase certain pieces from the collection - and it selected seven rare coins, said Horsnæs, who was involved in the sale this year.

Stack's Bowers said the sale of the collection will start in the fall and will likely take three to five years to complete. The expected value of the sale is based on the insurance valuation of the collection, which stands at about 500 million Danish kroner ($72 million), according to the auction house.

To read the complete article, see:
Rare collection of ancient coins, locked away for 100 years, heads to auction(https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2024/05/13/ancient-coin-collection-denmark-auction/)

To read the complete CoinsWeekly article, see:
National Museum of Denmark Acquires Seven Coins of the Bruun Collection(https://new.coinsweekly.com/news-en/national-museum-of-denmark-acquires-seven-coins-of-the-bruun-collection/)

See also:
Coin collection of Danish butter magnate going on sale after being sealed for 100 years(https://news.sky.com/story/coin-collection-of-danish-butter-magnate-going-on-sale-after-being-sealed-for-100-years-13135122)

To read the earlier E-Sylum articles, see:
DESERT STORM SALE POSTPONEMENT(https://www.coinbooks.org/esylum_v03n01a09.html)
THE BRUUN COLLECTION OF WORLD COINS(https://www.coinbooks.org/v27/esylum_v27n12a21.html)