We are very pleased to offer in this catalogue the exceptional collection of ancient gold coins of the Luxembourg notary Robert Schuman (born 20 May 1953 in Luxembourg, died 7 June 2022 in Luxembourg). It was not merely by chance that Robert Schuman bore the same name as the French statesman, famous founding father of Europe, and visionary of a peaceful unification of the European states, Robert Schuman (born 29 June 1886 in Clausen, died 4 September 1963 in Scy-Chazelles). The latter was also born in Luxembourg, but as a citizen of the 19th century “German Empire”, and both were members of the same distinguished family.
As a German, the later French statesman Robert Schuman completed his legal training at German universities. In 1912, he opened a law office in Metz, which, like Strasbourg, belonged to the (at that time) German Reichsland Alsace-Lorraine. After the First World War, Schuman became a French citizen, was a member of the French National Assembly for many years, and in 1947 advanced to the position of Prime Minister of France. He subsequently served as French Foreign Minister from 1948 to 1952.
On 9 May 1950, in a government declaration, the Foreign Minister presented his “Schuman Plan” – developed together with the French entrepreneur Jean Monnet (born 9 November 1888 in Cognac, died 16 March 1979 in Bazoches-sur-Guyonne) – which envisaged a merger of German and French coal- and steel production: “The French government proposes to place the entirety of Franco-German coal and steel production under the control of a High Authority, in an organisation open to the other European countries to join (...)”. Only a few hours before this plan was read out, German Chancellor Konrad Adenauer (born 5 January 1876 in Cologne, died 19 April 1967 in Rhöndorf) had been informed, and had immediately agreed to the plan. The initiative for the Coal and Steel Community was the cornerstone of European unification, and owed much to the visionary Robert Schuman.
The Luxembourg notary Maître Robert Schuman was certainly inspired by the ideas of his famous relative. His friend Jean-Pierre describes him thus: “He was a frequent globetrotter who crisscrossed the world, a great collector who wanted to preserve and pass on a piece of our history”.
Preserving and passing on history is the motive of many coin collectors, who thus make a considerable contribution to ensuring that future generations also come in contact with that history. Coins are practically the only cultural assets that can be systematically collected as historical testimony. In addition to his European gold coins, which Künker had the pleasure of auctioning in September 2023, the notary Robert Schuman collected with particular passion almost 250 gold coins of the ancient world, which are presented in this catalogue. His Greek, Roman, and Byzantine coins are like a history book of those ancient cultures, which can be regarded as the foundation and cradle of European history.
Robert Schuman assembled his collection with the utmost discretion – which was one of his essential traits – and was able to depend on the assistance of a reliable and equally discreet advisor, the well-known Luxembourg numismatist Romain Probst (born in Luxembourg 1938, died in Luxembourg 3 April 2023). Probst bought many pieces at European auctions on behalf of the notary, particularly in France, Switzerland and Germany. Today, the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg is an important and central part of the European Union and maintains the numismatic tradition with its own coin cabinet, to which the numismatic world pays tribute.
It is in accordance with the will of the collector Robert Schuman that the proceeds from the auction of his collection should go largely to the Luxembourg Red Cross.
With our catalogues, we hope to keep the memory of Maître Robert Schuman alive: Nummi docent, “Coins teach us history”. The saying may also be applied to this collection.
In the short piece which follows, a close friend and confidant of the notary and numismatist Robert Schuman adds his personal memories.
Osnabrück, November 2023
Fritz Rudolf Künker and Dr. Andreas Kaiser
Dear Ladies and Gentlemen,
It is very difficult for me to talk about Robert Schuman, as there is so much to say about this great man and the noble character he embodies for me.
Robert Schuman came from a distinguished Luxembourg family, from which also one of the founders of European unification arose. Robert Schuman symbolised the epitome of elegance and eloquence in the style of the fashion emperor Karl Lagerfeld, whom he admired so much as a creative genius. He was a frequent globetrotter, criss-crossing the world as a truly great collector who wanted to preserve and pass on pieces of our history; a lover of art, a passionate friend of architecture, a man of much knowledge who possessed a keen sense of listening; always benevolent, professionally respected and admired as a very fine orator, but himself above all full of wonder for the small things that embellished his everyday life.
His family bequeathed to Robert Schuman a passion for numismatics, which he was able to deepen during his life in order to preserve these pieces of history that fascinated him so much, and he took care to do so with the utmost discretion - because above all Robert Schuman inherited the family gene that characterised him so well: precisely that gene for discretion.
In order to preserve the memory of my “mentor”, I will not publish the portrait of this great personality, as I wish above all to maintain the anonymity that he valued so much.
This exceptional auction symbolises, in my eyes, a way to make this impressive man known, but above all, to continue to keep this excellent collection alive.
Jean-Pierre
Highlights from the Maître Robert Schuman Collection
