What do Prussian gold medals have to do with Japan’s modernization? More than one might initially suspect. In the 1860s and 1870s, two Japanese diplomatic missions traveled to Europe to study the great powers of the West. During the first visit in 1862, Prussia made hardly any impression—so much so that the author Fukuzawa Yukichi simply omitted the chapter on Prussia from his later travelogue, citing a lack of time, as he wrote.

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. 

On the occasion of the auction of the Mark and Lottie Salton Collection, we have published a 100-page brochure with detailed background research on the Salton family history, which revolutionizes our knowledge of the German coin trade before the Second World War. In addition to numerous original illustrations and family trees, the brochure also contains excerpts from the memoirs of Mark Salton himself.

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.

The 1839 Platinum Roubles from the Grand Duke Georgy Mikhailovich Collection - An exceptional journey – the 1839 Platin Roubles from the Hutten-Czapski und Georgy Mikhailovich collections

A rarity of Russian Coinage

Find out more about the idea and the creation of the family roubles.