In a much-anticipated event a century in the making, the extraordinary coin, medal, banknote, and book collection of Danish industrialist Lars Emil Bruun (1852-1923) is finally set to be sold in a series of auctions spanning several years. Commencing in fall 2024, Stack's Bowers Galleries will present at public auction this prized collection of Scandinavian coinage.

The collection, painstakingly assembled by this prosperous Danish butter merchant beginning as a boy in the 1850s and over the decades that followed, has remained essentially intact, unlike those of his contemporaries, which have long since been dispersed. Thanks in part to a unique and highly peculiar testament of his will, the L. E. Bruun Collection has been safeguarded for a century as a reserve for the Royal Danish Coin and Medal Collection. It first found refuge within the walls of Frederiksborg Castle, formerly a royal residence, before finding its way to the Danmarks Nationalbank (Danish Central Bank) in Copenhagen.

Since 2011, nearly 20,000 meticulously arranged items, housed within four grand custom-made cabinets (as they were at Mr. Bruun's demise in 1923), have remained securely stored in a secret location, insured for 500,000,000 Danish kroner (approximately USD 72,550,000). The world awaits as the L. E. Bruun Collection, poised for its transformation from a Danish national treasure into an international marvel, emerges from its century-long slumber and takes its place as the most valuable collection of world coins and medals ever to cross the auction block.

Deeply moved by the devastation he witnessed during World War I and fearing a new war or bombing of Copenhagen, L. E. Bruun left exacting instructions in his will for his collection: However, should the next century pass with the national collection intact,

On November 21, 2023, that moment arrived as the final provision of the will came into force. This released for auction nearly 20,000 coins, medals, and paper currency pieces from Denmark and related territories, Norway, Sweden, as well as medieval coins from the era when Danish kings ruled in England.

Henrik Holt Christensen, Senior Director of Consignments at Stack's Bowers Galleries, remarked:

The assembly of the world's greatest collection of Scandinavian coinage demanded perseverance, dedication, time, and, above all, substantial financial resources. Lars Emil Bruun, a trailblazer in the preservation, canning, and exportation of premium Danish butter, established a global enterprise that propelled him to immense wealth. His affluence enabled him to ardently pursue his hobby, participating in the numismatic community, engaging in auctions, and amassing an exquisite specialized library. Bruun's considerable riches, derived from his butter empire and astute real estate ventures, facilitated not only the acquisition of individual coins but also entire collections.

said Brian Kendrella, President of Stack's Bowers Galleries.

Further details regarding the auction schedule and global exhibitions featuring the L. E. Bruun Collection will be posted at www.StacksBowers.com.

To read the complete article, see:
The Most Valuable Collection of World Coins to Ever Come to MarketStipulated by Bruun's Will to Be Sold at Public Auction a Century After His 1923 Death(https://stacksbowers.com/stacks-bowers-galleries-selected-to-auction-the-l-e-bruun-collection/)