Stack’s Bowers Galleries is pleased to be presenting Part II of the amazing L. E. Bruun Collection March 14 and 15. This cabinet was formed between 1859 and 1922 – an interesting time in Scandinavian numismatics. In 1873, the three Scandinavian countries, Denmark, Norway and Sweden entered into a monetary union. The decimal system was adopted and coins from any of the countries would have the same size and alloy and be legal tender in all three.
The words Kroner (Kronor) and Øre (Öre) were decided upon, with 1 Krone equalling 100 Øre. The Krone (meaning Crown) had been a Danish/Norwegian coin from the early 17th century until the late 18th century, while Øre coins had been struck in Sweden since the early 16th century.
When a Scandinavian embarks on coin collection it is often the decimal coinage which grabs him first (let’s face it, it’s mostly men). It is quite a task to find all the dates, check off the boxes in the price guides and scour coin dealers’ tables for precious, rare dates. The empty slot in the collection can seem unbearable.
Collecting pre-decimal coinage can seem an insurmountable task, and in many ways, it is. For Denmark alone there were often several sets of currencies circulating at the same time, with an additional currency for the duchies of Schleswig-Holstein. Those currencies would at times change to fit the international markets, and inflation would do its part, too. While it does seem insurmountable at first
(and second) glance, this also means there are many angles to collect from, and so many coin types to collect.
The L. E. Bruun Collection is a true once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for collectors of Scandinavian coinage (and lots of German coins, too), both pre-decimal and decimal. There will be more than 20,000 coins, medals, token and banknotes coming up for auction over the next years in the series of auctions Stack’s Bowers Galleries will be presenting. We are already gearing up for the next Collectors Choice Online (CCO) auction in June and another showcase auction to be held in Copenhagen at the end of October. Be sure to subscribe to our newsletters to get the latest information on where and when.
