Jakob Lambert and his brother Hugo began the Lambert family collection by saving and collecting German Reich coins. It was a very difficult time economically, and the global economic crisis meant that the family’s money and savings were running out. Jakob Lambert’s illness progressed and became increasingly severe and costly. On 11 April 1911, their son Hans Benno was born in München. Among other health remedies, Jakob Lambert had invented a very effective ointment for the relief of gout and rheumatism, called Bennol. Delighted by its success, he named his first- born son “Benno”, later known as Johann. 

As there was no significant fortune left, it was unfortunately not possible for his son Hans Benno (Johann) to study at a university. The effects of the global economic crisis were also felt in München. 

Hans Benno joined the clinic workshop for orthopaedics in München as an apprentice orthopaedic technician. After completing his apprenticeship there, he was employed as a technician under the famous Geheimrat (Privy Councillor) Prof. Dr Ferdinand Sauerbruch. Due to the global economic crisis following the First World War, the job situation was also very difficult in München and poverty was widespread in Germany. 

Hans Benno moved to Salzburg in 1930, where he was offered a management position at the Sperl company. He met his wife Christine from Neumarkt am Wallersee, and the couple married in 1933. During this time, Hans Benno took over his father’s coin collection, which consisted mainly of African coins and old reichsmarks, and continued to expand it. 

His grandfather Jakob Lambert died on 17 March 1937 in München, and his wife Elisabeth died on 10 August 1963, also in München. 

For security reasons, the coin collection remained in München and was only later moved to Salzburg. In 1935, the Lambert couple had a daughter, Edith, and on 30 January 1944, I, their son Gerhard, was born in Salzburg as their second child. Unfortunately, at the end of 1944 we were completely bombed out in Salzburg by US aircraft, and our entire fortune was once again destroyed. Our cash holdings, shares, savings accounts, etc. fell victim to currency reform and were thus wiped out. Fortunately, the coin collection had been stored with my grandmother in München at the time. After the Second World War, Hans Benno was now a foreigner (German) and was no longer allowed to stay in Austria, let alone work. His family – all born and raised in Salzburg – were declared “stateless” and treated accordingly. This continued until 1950, when my father was also allowed to return to Salzburg. In 1952, we all regained Austrian citizenship. In the same year, my father opened his own orthopaedic workshop on the first floor of the building at Getreidegasse 2 in Salzburg. In 1954, our first retail store followed at Bergstr. 8. This building, which was built in 1429 but has always been modernised to the latest standards, is still home to our head office and is the location of the administration for all of our branches. The building is a listed monument, partly because the former assistant conductor of the Salzburg State Theatre and famous composer Hugo Wolf lived there in 1881.

In 1980, my father was admitted to the state hospital, where he died far too young at the age of 70 after a nine-month battle with cancer. Before he died, he handed over his Salzburg collection to me and asked me to continue to maintain, look after, and expand it. In accordance with my father’s wishes, I added my own small Salzburg collection to his collection and expanded it considerably. My longtime friend Günther Schweighofer, whom I had known for years as an enthusiastic fan of the Salzburg Austria football club, was also an almost inexhaustible source of rare Salzburg coins, and I was certainly one of his most loyal customers. 

I also regularly bid at the Lanz, Rauch, and Wiener Dorotheum auctions in Vienna, which enabled me to expand the collection considerably. Gerhard Halbedel and Peter Macho were also constantly on the lookout for rarities for me. Sänn in München was also an inexhaustible source. I have been a member of the Salzburger Münzfreunde (Salzburg Coin Friends) since 2018, and through my collaboration with Mag. (Magistra) Ulli Höllhuber, Mag. Peter Macho, Leo Gutenbrunner, Mag. Erker and others, I have constantly expanded my numismatic knowledge. At this time I also began my Salzburg gold collection. I made a partial purchase of Günther Schweighofer’s collection, followed in 2020 by the purchase of Dr Zöttl’s collection of Salzburg landmarks, and the purchase of many other Salzburg rarities. I also bought a partial Salzburg collection from Manfred Olding in Osnabrück. 

In 2021, I decided to hand over my collection of coins from the Holy Roman Empire, comprising a total of 3,854 pieces, to the Zöttl coin dealership for auction. I was able to acquire several Salzburg rarities at the Zöttl auctions 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16 and 17 through exchanges and purchases. Most of these were offset through exchanges. This was followed by the purchase and exchange of Dr Zöttl’s collection of Salzburg countermarks, as well as special rarities with Salzburg counterstamps in exchange or purchase from Leopold Guttenbrunner from Linz. I am therefore delighted to be able to present the present collection.

In recognition of my professional achievements and activities for the Salzburg economy, I was awarded the professional title of Kommerzialrat by the Austrian Chancellor in 2005. 

In 1988, I founded a second company in Graz called Ortho Aktiv, which now also employs 160 people in its twelve medical supply stores in Styria. I have handed this company over to my son Udo, who now runs it independently as the majority owner. 

I was naturally very flattered that my reputation as an important Salzburg collector had reached Osnabrück and that the Managing Director, Dr Andreas Kaiser, visited me in Salzburg to draw my attention to the upcoming auction of Dr Franz Schedel’s Salzburg coin collection and to invite me to the auction. 

I always believed that my Salzburg collection was already quite advanced, but the richness of the Schedel collection and the number of rarities it contained left me almost speechless. I think every collector can understand that I was eagerly awaiting the auction of the Schedel collection on 25 March 2023. I was very successful at this auction and was able to purchase 192 lots. I was thrilled with these top-quality pieces, which have significantly expanded my collection. 

Now that I have reached the age of 80, I have asked my children if they would like to continue this collection in the fourth generation. Unfortunately, my children have not inherited my passion for collecting, so I have decided to put the collection back into circulation at a coin auction at Künker, and I hope that the new owners will enjoy the items in this “three-generation collection”. 

I hope there will be a lot of interest, and send my warmest regards to all interested parties.

Gerhard Lambert
Salzburg, July 2025