Exceptionally Beautiful Coin Art up for Auction!

Two extremely rare and very beautiful Tetradrachms from Ancient Greece will come under the hammer at the autumn's large coin auction at Bruun Rasmussen in Copenhagen. This is truly exceptional coin art of a very high quality. The auction also offers a Chinese 50 Tael weighing almost 2 kilos as well as an English coronation set from 1937.

"The selection at the autumn’s large coin auction is wide-ranging, but we are particularly proud to present the two Greek Tetradrachms of Apollo and the lion, as well as Zeus' eagle and Poseidon's crab. They represent the highest quality and originality within coin art," says Michael Fornitz, Chief Numismatist at Bruun Rasmussen.

Coin Art from Ancient Greece

When coins from Ancient Greece are selected with the experienced collector's discerning eye for quality combined with an art lover's understanding of the individual engraver's artistic abilities, everything seems to come together and the line between coin and art is irrevocably transcended.

The auction’s two exquisite Tetradrachms are a fine example of this. They come from Ancient Greece, which stretched across most of the Mediterranean region. The coins were struck in Leontinoi (approx. 455 - 422 BC) and Akragas (approx. 460 BC), which was located on Sicily. In the coin from Leontinoi you can see on the front an elegant depiction of the God of light, Apollo, who looks both gracious and calm, and on the reverse a powerful, roaring lion, which easily elevates this piece from the world of numismatics to the realm of art.

In the coin from Akragas, which was one of the wealthiest and most populous cities in Magna Graecia, you see a serene presentation of the eagle of Zeus while the reverse boasts a forceful and highly naturalistic rendering of a crab from the realm of Poseidon. In a contemporary poem the Greek poet, Pindar, hailed the city as "the most beautiful the mortals had ever built”. This high aesthetic aspiration of the people of Akragas is beautifully reflected in the present piece.

Both Tetradrachms will be featured as a full plate illustration in a forthcoming international book on ancient Greek art.

Rare International Coins

The auction also features an interesting selection of rare international coins, ranging from unassuming types from the Migration Period (cat. no. 258, 259) to beautiful 20th century coins, such as the English coronation set from 1937 (cat. no. 249), the Czech Dukat series from 1934 (cat. no. 275-278) and the Russian Rouble from 1913 (cat. no. 273). As a highly unusual segment of the auction, we can mention the first part of the late Sven Erik Dettmer's collection of countermarked coins from "the whole world" (cat. no. 292-303).

An interesting example of how the coin concept sometimes distances itself from the expected is with a rare Chinese 50 Tael from the Qing Dynasty (1875-1908), which weighs almost two kilos and is shaped like a "shoe" of silver (cat. no. 254).

The auction takes place at Bruun Rasmussen Auctioneers, Baltikavej 10, Copenhagen.

Preview: Friday 27 October 10 am-3:30 pm, Monday 6 November 10 am – 5 pm, Tuesday 7 November 8:30 am until the end of the auction.

Auction: 7 November from 10 am

View the entire coin auction

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