KUENKER AUCTION SALE 418, PART TWO

A Unique Ensemble of Gnadenpfennigs

The term "gnadenpfennig" is used by numismatists to refer to a group of heavy gold coins with an elaborate contemporary mount, added to allow the owner to wear the specimen on a necklace or a headpiece. Such gnadenpfennigs were badges of honor given by princes to their most important officials and councilors. The possession of a gnadenpfennig of one or several rulers was a coveted symbol of status and privilege, especially for imperial knights. That is why people liked to wear them on portraits. In fact, very few of these precious objects have survived to this day. And that should come as no surprise. These coins were objects of daily use and therefore subject to wear and tear. In addition, they lost much of their prestige after the death of the prince depicted on them. It is therefore likely that many gnadenpfennigs were later melted down. Only a few of them still exist today. Künker is proud to be able to offer some of them in its Berlin Auction Sale. Here are a few selected examples.

No. 13: Sweden. Gustav II Adolph, 1611-1632. 1631 gnadenpfennig. From the collection of the Grand Duke of Oldenburg. Estimate: 75,000 euros

No. 32: German States / Bavaria. Maximilian I, 1598-1651. Gnadenpfennig n.d. (1623). Estimate: 25,000 euros

No. 682: Spain. Felipe II, 1556-1598. Gnadenpfennig (probably created later). From the collection of Baron Albert von Goldschmidt-Rothschild. Estimate: 25,000 euros

This specimen is not a gnadenpfennig in the strict sense of the word, but rather a token of loyalty that was probably created after the death of King Felipe II. It follows the tradition of Geuzen medals, tokens that depicted the portrait of the Spanish king on the obverse and on the reverse a beggar's sack with two hands shaking. Geuzen medals, which are also referred to as Beggars' medals, are satirical objects. The translation of their inscription reads: Everything for the king, even a beggar's sack. The piece offered by Künker is very different from traditional Geuzen medals. There is no beggar's sack on the reverse, but an elaborately decorated vase with floral ornaments and no inscription. One might wonder whether this piece was inspired by the obverse legend of Geuzen medals, turning their message into a positive one, i.e., transforming the mocking pledge of loyalty to King Felipe II into one an honest one.

Masterpieces of Medallic Art

Are you fascinated by medals? Then you should definitely take a close look at the Berlin Auction catalog, which features the finest and most beautiful medals created between the Renaissance and the 19th century. The medals are from several collections that complement each other. One of them belonged to the German manufacturer and history enthusiast who also created the collection of numismatic issues from the Thirty Years' War.

No. 152: German States / Prussia. Frederick William IV, 1840-1861. Gold medal of 50 ducats, 1851 by F. W. Kullrich, commemorating the completion of the equestrian statue of Frederick the Great on Berlin's "Unter den Linden" boulevard. Extremely rare. About FDC. Estimate: 50,000 euros

No. 158: German States / Prussia. William I, 1861-1888. Gold medal of 120 ducats, 1871, by E. Weigand and F. W. Kullrich. General's medal commemorating the victory over France. Only 25 specimens minted. FDC. Estimate: 75,000 euros

No. 193: Ore Mountains. Gold medal of 10 ducats, 1534, unsigned, probably by Wolfgang Roll. Very rare in gold. Struck original. Extremely fine. Estimate: 75,000 euros

No. 277: German States / Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg. Frederick II, 1691-1732. Silver pedigree medallion of 7 reichstalers n.d. (1710) by Chr. Wermuth. 3rd known specimen. Extremely fine. Estimate: 20,000 euros

No. 305: German States / Charles V, 1519-1558. Silver medal, 1521, by H. Krafft after a draft by Albrecht Dürer as a gift for the Emperor on the occasion of the planned Imperial Diet in Nuremberg. Extremely rare. Original strike. Extremely fine. Estimate: 100,000 euros

No. 309: German States / Charles V, 1519-1558. Silver medal (1550s), probably by L. Leoni. Probably the only silver specimen on the market. About extremely fine. Estimate: 40,000 euros

No. 462: France. Napoleon I, 1804-1814, 1815. 1806 gold medal by L. Manfredini commemorating the battle of Jena. Extremely rare. Extremely fine to FDC, struck from polished dies. Estimate: 75,000 euros

No. 594: Poland. August III, 1733-1763. 1763 gold medal of 50 ducats by F. A. Schega commemorating the death of the ruler. Probably the only known specimen. Extremely fine +. Estimate: 100,000 euros

No. 701: India. Silver cast medal n.d. (around 1890) commemorating the zoological garden of Alipore near Kolkata. Extremely rare. Extremely fine. Estimate: 10,000 euros

In 1876, Edward VII, Prince of Wales, opened the Alipore Zoo, then the finest residential address in Kolkata. At the time, there was already a world-famous botanical garden in the neighborhood, built in the Western style. The zoo was to become famous for its breeding of white tigers, which began in the 19th century. The Aldabra giant tortoise, which was given to the zoo as a gift when it opened, was considered the world's oldest animal in captivity when it died in 2006 at the age of 256.

Please note that, unlike previous years, the auction will not take place on the Thursday before the World Money Fair, but on the Wednesday, 29 January 2025!

To order a catalog contact Künker, Nobbenburger Straße 4a, 49076 Osnabrück; phone: +49 541 / 962020; fax: +49 541 / 9620222; or via e-mail: service@kuenker.de. You can access the auction catalogs online at www.kuenker.de. If you want to submit your bid from your computer at home, please remember to register for this service in good time.

To read the earlier E-Sylum article, see:
KUENKER AUCTION SALE 418, PART ONE (https://www.coinbooks.org/v27/esylum_v27n50a19.html)

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