A Saxon Medal in the L. E. Bruun Collection

L. E. Bruun collected coins and medals from all over the world, but at his death in 1923 only the Scandinavian part of his collection was sealed by the will for 100 years. The rest were sold at auction in 1925, except for the coins of the British Danelaw, which were bequeathed to the Danish National Museum.

Within the Scandinavian collection, which Stack’s Bowers Galleries has been entrusted to sell, are a few coins and medals which at first glance seem to break that rule. One is the Saxony 10 Ducat of 1635, a medallic issue struck on the marriage of the daughter of the Saxon Elector John George I (Johan Georg), Magdalene Sibylle. The Scandinavian connection lies in her betrothed, the prince elect of Denmark, Christian, son of Christian IV. This large gold medal, graded a magnificent MS-62, features interesting, historical details:

The obverse bears the arms of the Denmark and Saxony, and in the legend, Christian is given the number 5 (Roman numeral V), as he would have been, had he not died in 1647, a year before his father.

The reverse shows the hands of the couple emerging from clouds (signifying their divine right to rule), meeting in a handshake, rings and blossoms abound, and the word of God in Hebrew letters etched in the sun above.

It is a masterpiece in medallic art. On March 25 this year L. E. Bruun’s Saxony 10 Ducat changed hands for the first time in over 100 years, when it sold in Part IV of the L. E. Bruun Collection. Fetching €33.600 (almost $40,000) it shattered our expectations, as did so many of the coins and medals in that sale.

Part V of the L. E. Bruun Collection will be held in Copenhagen, at the Odd Fellow Palace, on October 27-28, 2026. We hope to see you there for yet another amazing sale.