Lösers are silver multiple thalers that were minted by the Welf princes. In exceptional cases, they could have a value of 25 thalers and then reach a weight of almost 724 g. More common, but also quite rare, were Löserswith a diameter of approximately 100 mm and a weight of 465 g. Fractions of them were minted in larger quantities: 9, 5, 4, 3, 2½, 2, 1½, 1¼ thalers. The Regina Adams Collection contains multiple thalers worth between 1¼ and 5 thalers. All multiple thalers had the same fineness as the Imperial Thalers, i.e. they were 14 lots and 4 grains fine, or 889/1000.

We are extremely proud that a dedicated collector like Dr Kaya Sayar has entrusted us with his exquisite collection of 2,000 coins, which he built up over thirty years with great passion and energy. His decision to offer it for sale in two Künker auctions is a vote of confidence in our company and our work. We are very grateful to our long-standing client Dr Sayar and his family for their trust. 

Mark and Lottie Salton’s extremely friendly relationship with the House of Künker led them to also involve Fritz Rudolf Künker in the dissolution of their magnificent life’s work. Dr Ursula Kampmann has put together a history of the Hamburger and Schlessinger families in a work which will be published by the Fritz Rudolf Künker numismatic publishing entity. We thank Ursula Kampmann for this special work, and all others who have contributed to it. On their behalf, we would like to especially thank our colleague Frau Alexandra Elflein-Schwier, who following the death of Mark Salton on 31 December 2005 took care of his wife Lottie in a most touching manner, and made sure that the memory of Lottie’s family the Aronsteins was kept alive.

This brochure introduces one of the most important collections of Jewish coins in existence. The collection was compiled over decades by the Munich collector Josef Samel and his sister Angela Arluk (née Samel), who died in 2005 and 2015. This coin collection covers the history of the Jewish people from the conquest of Judaea by the Persians in the 6th century BC until the present day. However, the emphasis of the collection lies with ancient Jewish coinage.