Auction of the Century
Stack’s Bowers Galleries will offer L. E. Bruun’s extraordinary assemblage of Scandinavian coinage in a series of much-anticipated auctions spanning several years. The collection includes 20,000 coins, medals, and paper currency from Denmark, Norway, and Sweden. Medieval coins from the era when Danish kings ruled England are also in the collection. The first sale will take place fall 2024.
Denmark native Lars Emil Bruun (1852-1923) began his collection when he was a boy. His financial success in preserving, canning, and exporting Danish butter allowed him to ardently pursue his hobby throughout his life. Bruun witnessed the atrocities of World War I and feared that another war would follow. As a result, Bruun instructed that for 100 years after his death, his collection should act as a reserve for the Royal Coin and Medal Collection in Copenhagen in case it was destroyed. His will also stipulated that after 100 years passed with the national collection intact, his assemblage could appear at auction.
“We are honored to be entrusted with Bruun’s numismatic legacy after a century-long wait,” says Brian Kendrella, president of Stack’s Bowers Galleries. “The legendary expertise of our team, our international reach, and our record of success with famous specialized cabinets of diverse numismatic items will enable us to showcase this collection in a way that will secure Bruun’s name among the most important coin collectors of all time.”
Details about the auction schedule and exhibitions featuring the L. E. Bruun Collection will appear on the Stack’s Bowers Galleries website.
A version of this article appears in the May 2024 issue of The Numismatist (money.org).