The present collection of coinage from the period of the Thirty Years’ War (1618-1648), the importance of which can hardly be surpassed, was assembled over the last quarter-century by an entrepreneur who, in addition to his professional activities, found time for a wide range of different interests. Equipped with an enormous thirst for knowledge, our collector soaked up the most complex information and facts from every conceivable field of science -- and also from day-to-day politics -- like a sponge. He was particularly passionate about history and important historical figures. In addition to reading specialist literature, he enjoyed watching historical films and documentaries that took him back to the respective eras. One of his absolute favourite films was the four-part, 320-minute historical film “Wallenstein” from 1978, based on the biography by Golo Mann.

When he discovered an advert in the magazine “Weltkunst” in 2002 announcing our auction of a Wallenstein coin, his interest in numismatics was immediately aroused. He bought the piece (Lot 428 in this catalogue) and another Wallenstein thaler at auction, and Fritz Rudolf Künker took it upon himself to deliver the two thalers personally. At the lunch arranged for this purpose, Künker mentioned that a ten-ducat piece by Wallenstein would be offered in the next Künker auction in autumn 2002. Our newly-minted collector was so excited at the prospect of a large gold piece of the Generalissimo that he immediately asked the waitress for the bill, even though lunch had not yet been served.

Those three Wallenstein coins became the cornerstone of the excellent collection. You can study them in this catalogue, and other parts of the collection will be auctioned next year. The focus was placed on one of the most turbulent periods in German and European history: the time of the Thirty Years’ War and the Peace of Westphalia in Münster and Osnabrück (1618-1648). The upheavals of that cruel war and the peace order of 1648 were also profoundly significant in their impact on the second half of the 17th century and the entire 18th century. The constitutional and international law agreements of the Peace of Westphalia remained largely valid until the Congress of Vienna in 1815. Coins and medals are also historical sources of the first rank for this decisive epoch, virtual “minted history”.

Collectors of coins from this period have an advantage in the fact that it was a very coin-rich period – particularly because a great deal of money was needed for the enormous mercenary armies. The important imperial field marshal and military writer Raimondo von Montecuccoli (1609-1680), who also fought in the Thirty Years’ War, once remarked that three things were necessary for warfare: money, money and again money!

When building up his collection, our customer was happy to take advice from Fritz Rudolf Künker and the undersigned, and this developed into a friendship that went beyond the usual relationship of trust in our business, with many convivial meetings and trips together.

Over a period of around 25 years, the collector succeeded in forming what is probably the most important collection ever assembled on the theme of the Thirty Years’ War. We bow in respect for this achievement and thank our friend and his family for the great trust they have placed in us, and for the assignment of returning the collected items to other collections, some of which have different objectives. May this catalogue preserve the memory of a manufacturer and history buff who died far too young.

Osnabrück, July 2024
Dr Andreas Kaiser