HESS DIVO AUCTION 335

Greek Coins with Excellent Pedigrees

On December 6, 2018, Hess Divo AG will hold their 335th auction. It includes beautiful Greek treasures from, among others, the Abou Taam Family Collection. In addition, coin rarities from antiquity to the present day, from Switzerland, Europe, and all over the world will be sold. One special highlight: a collection of Japanese obans and kobans.

Those who collect coins of great quality should mark their calendar for December 6, 2018. On what is celebrated in some countries as Saint Nicholas Day, the long-standing auction house Hess Divo AG will hold its 335th auction at the Hotel Baur au Lac. The auction includes a selection of the most beautiful coins – from antiquity to the present day, from Switzerland, Europe, and all over the world.

((01 – No. 7. Temesa (Bruttium). Nomos, around 450 BC. From the Moretti and Dr. H. Maag Collections. Very rare. Nice toning. Extremely fine. Estimate: 40,000,- CHF.))

Greek coins from well-known collections
This Greek section encompasses only 64 coins. Yet, all of them are extremely rare, they are of great historical interest as well as of the most beautiful style, and they all have exceptional pedigrees as some of them originate from well-known collections such as the Moretti or Kunstfreund. Let us use an extremely rare nomos from Temesa as an example. Its obverse features a Corinthian helmet, but its reverse shows an image reminiscent of the city of Kroton: a tripod between two greaves. The extraordinary piece originates from the Moretti Collection, which was on display at the Basel Museum of Ancient Art for many years.

((02 - No. 21. Abdera (Thracia). Tetradrachm, around 365-361. From the Prof. C. Severeanu and Gillet Collections. Extremely rare, probably the second known specimen. Beautiful toning. Extremely fine. Estimate: 125,000,- CHF.))

Possibly the most spectacular piece was part of the Kunstfreund Collection: It is a tetradrachm from Abdera that depicts Dionysus with a crater and thyrsus placed on the back of a panther.

((03 – No. 40. Athens (Attica). Didrachm, around 475-465. Transitional style. From the Consul E. F. Weber and Goekopp Collections. Very rare denomination of a rare issue. Beautiful toning. Extremely fine. Estimate. 100,000,- CHF.))

The pedigree of a didrachm from Athens dates even further back. It originates from the Consul E. F. Weber Collection, which was sold in 1908. This piece, which is depicted in all of the important reference books on the coinage of Athens, shows the owl in a well-defined Quadratum Incusum.

((04 - No. 76. Celtic coins. Helvetii. Imitation of the gold staters of Philipp II. Double gold stater. From the S. Pozzi, Sandars, J. W. Garrett and John Hopkins University Collections. Very rare. Almost extremely fine. Estimate: 15,000,- CHF.))

Celtic rarities
A spectacular Helvetian stater sold in this auction, which was published in the Acta Archaeologica in 1942 already, used to be part of the Professor Pozzi Collection. It represents the 20 lots of carefully selected Celtic coins, which were struck by, among others, the Parisii, Veneti, and Vindelici. It also includes a tetradrachm minted in the region surrounding the Middle Danube.

((05 - No. 98. Hadrian, 117-138. Aureus, around 134-138. Rv. HISPANIA. From Adolph Hess AG - Bank Leu Auction 45 (1970), no. 522. Rare. Attractive style. Almost extremely fine. Estimate: 7,500,- CHF.))

Roman aurei as the highlight of the Roman coin section
An abundance of reasonably estimated Roman gold coins predominates the Roman coin section. It includes, inter alia, coins of Lucius Verus, Herennia, Estruscilla, Tacitus, as well as the Tetrarchs.

((06 - No. 132. Switzerland. Berne. Guldiner 1493. From the Bachofen and Wüthrich Collections. Very rare. Nice toning. Very fine. Estimate: 5,000,- CHF.))

Hess Divo AG’s specialty: Swiss coins and medals
As always, Hess Divo AG offers a great selection of Swiss coins and medals, some of which with old and well-known pedigrees. A fitting example is the very rare guldiner struck in Berne in 1493 depicting Saint Vincent on its reverse. This coin was already part of the Bachofen Collection, which Leo Hamburger designated “one of the oldest and most important specialized collections of Swiss coins and medals” when it was sold on June 18-19, 1918. The fact that the coin then went on to become part of the Wüthrich Collection increases its appeal even further.

((07 - No. 208. France. Napoleon. Gold medal 1810 by medalist Galle, minted to mark the passing of Maréchal Jean Lannes, Duc de Montebello. From the Bonaparte Collection, Leu Auction 14 (1975), no. 330. Extremely rare in gold. Estimate: 25,000,- CHF.))

European coins and medals
Next up are European coins and medals with a focus on France. The selection ranges from the Merovingians to Napoleon III. Let us highlight one extremely rare gold medal here, which, just this once, is not only historically but also sociologically interesting. In 1810, Napoleon dedicated one of his historical medals to the passing of Maréchal Jean Lannes, Duc de Montebello. This man constituted the embodiment of Napoleon’s statement claiming that every single French soldier carried a marshal's baton in his knapsack. Lannes was the son of a groom and was working for a dyer before he voluntarily joined the army in 1792. Due to his individual bravery, his charisma, and his uncompromising support of Napoleon, he advanced to the highest ranks before dying near Aspern and Essling at the age of 40. Lannes, who was laid to rest at the Pantheon in Paris, was the only officer who was allowed to use the informal address of “tu” with the emperor.

The mere fact that an official medal – which was originally used as a way of glorifying the head of state, his family, and his achievements – was dedicated to the descendant of a simple groom, gives proof to the powerful social implications of the French Revolution.

((08 – No. 212. Great Britain. James I., 1603-1625. Spur Ryal. From the Willett, Addison, Lord Hastings, Roth and L. M. LaRiviere Collections. Extremely fine in this condition. Miniscule repairing marks at the upper gun port of the quarterdeck, otherwise extremely fine+. Estimate: 20,000,- CHF.))

The Spur Ryal of James I with a detailed depiction of a war vessel of the early 17th century, originates from the Willett Collection, which was sold at Sotheby in 1824. James I, a Stuart king who became the successor of Elizabeth I, is shown as an elderly man along with the English crown, a royal escutcheon, and a sword.

((09 – No. 276. Germany. Cologne. Royal mint of the Merovingians. Dagobert, 623-639.

Triens, undated. Mint master Gaucemares. Second known specimen. Perfectly centered, extremely fine. Estimate: 25,000,- CHF.))

An undated triens from Cologne which was made by the Merovingian mint master Gaucemares and which features a portrait of King Dagobert, is one of the highlights of the section containing coins of the German Empire. There are only two surviving specimens of this type. The one offered in this auction is the better preserved one of the two.

((10 - No. 288. Japan. Edo period, 1837-1848. Oban, undated. Extremely rare. Including a certificate of the Japan Numismatic Dealers Association. Uncirculated. Estimate: 25,000,- CHF.))

An oban of the Bakufu
Hess Divo AG is pleased to be able to offer a small selection of Japanese gold coins from the Edo period. These precious metal pieces issued on behalf of the head of the Treasury were the last ones before the introduction of Western-style coins. They were forged from gold sheets, which was cut into pieces of a predetermined weight for this purpose.

What is remarkable here is the fact that part of the marking was originally only applied using ink. This technique was retained in the production of obans, but was dismissed in favor of countermarks in the production of kobans. This should come as no surprise seeing as kobans were meant to be used in everyday money circulation, whereas obans mainly served as presents and rewards.

((11 – No. 309. Switzerland. Swiss Confederation. 100 francs 1925, Berne. NGC MS62. Estimate: 10,000,- CHF.))

Coins in slabs
Hess Divo AG has decided to sell coins in slabs in a separate “Slabia” section without complete illustrations.

In this section, the extensive collection of Belgian patterns struck between 1833 and 1933 is particularly striking.

The auction is available online at https://www.sixbid.com/browse.html?auction=5391 .

You can purchase a copy of the catalog at Hess Divo AG, Löwenstrasse 55, CH-8001 Zurich, phone: +41 / (0)44 / 225 40 90, email: mailbox@hessdivo.ch .

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