A Once in Several Lifetimes Opportunity

The L. E. Bruun Collection holds a plethora of coins and medals with interesting stories. These stories range from the reason a piece was struck, the motif on it, or its provenance. Sometimes sheer size is enough. Some coins have all of the above, and among these is the cover coin of the L. E. Bruun Collection Part IV catalog, the Akershus 10 Ducat, lot 18103.

This outstanding type was struck to commemorate the celebration of King Frederik as a sovereign monarch of Norway. The ceremony took place at Akershus on August 15, 1661, in the presence of Crown Prince Christian V. The obverse had previously been used for regular Speciedalers from 1659; the reverse is in every way unique in Scandinavian monetary history. Below the text “Aggers Haus” is a beautifully composed and balanced rendering of Akershus Castle on top of a rock overlooking the sea. Akershus, which can still be visited in Norwegian capital Oslo, was constructed around 1300 to protect and provide a royal residence for the city. Many late medieval monarchs resided there, including Margaret (Margrethe) I (1375-1412), who was the architect of the Kalmar Treaty which united the Scandinavian countries Denmark, Norway (with Iceland) and Sweden (with Finland) under a Danish monarch. Christian IV, always very personally involved in the architectural design of official buildings, first transformed Akershus from a medieval castle into a regular fortress in 1592 and then from 1637 onward into a full-blown renaissance castle complete with Italian inspired bastions, also visible on the design of the coin.

The coin was bought personally by Count Preben Bille-Brahe at the 1831 auction of the important collection of the late Carl Friderik (Friederich) Schubart, at which time the then-formidable sum of 46 Daler was paid. It has not been offered for sale in close to 200 years, making this is a chance of not only one but of several lifetimes. Its ownership will certainly be the crowning achievement of any collector of Norwegian coins or any collector of architectural European gold, whose name can then be added to the distinguished list of owners.

The sale takes place in New York, at the KF House New York by The Kosciuszko Foundation on 15 East 65^th Street. This coin will be sold on in Session II on March 25, 2026.