Current auction sales

Our Auction 446 begins on November 4, 2026, at 9:00 a.m. with the Wolfgang and Ingrid Suder Collection—Coins and medals of Mainz—which, due to its significance, will be published in advance as a dedicated hardcover catalog. The collection contains coins spanning from antiquity and the Middle Ages through to the 20th century, extending well beyond the immediate scope of the Archbishopric and mint of Mainz. The collectors’ aim was to acquire a comprehensive overview of coin circulation in their hometown. The result is a study collection that offers something for everyone. It features an unprecedented number of Rhenish gold guldens—exactly 159 (!) pieces—as well as ducats from the Archbishopric and the dioceses of Bamberg and Wurzburg (which were held in personal union). The collection also includes numerous Erfurt bracteates; thalers (including those from dependent territories), small denomination coins, and significant medals dating from the 16th century onwards. Following this first section—focusing on Mainz coins and medals in the strict sense—is an overview of coins circulating in Mainz, beginning with coins from Roman antiquity that were brought into the city in large numbers by legionnaires (over 1,500 of which are being offered as multiple lots in following Auction 447). Next comes the medieval period, again featuring gold guldens and silver coins from the Electorates of Cologne, the Palatinate, and Trier—key players in the Rhenish Monetary Union. Finally, the modern era is represented by issues from the Grand Duchy of Hesse-Darmstadt, to which Mainz belonged following the Congress of Vienna in 1815. This series of issues concludes with the 3-mark piece of 1917, marking the reign jubilee of the last Grand Duke, Ernst Ludwig. All multiple lots belonging to this collection—with the exception of the ancient coins—are being auctioned off on the same day.

Only a fraction of the collection’s rarities can be mentioned here. A gold gulden (undated, 1346/1353, Felke 2) from the Eltville mint had previously been missing from all major collections. A square half-thaler (klippe) from 1614 commemorating the construction of Aschaffenburg Palace—originating from the renowned Walther Collection (1971), where it was described as unique—has not reappeared on the market according to our records. Indeed, the collection features several other specimens from distinguished sources that carry the distinction of being the “only specimen on the market.” Notable examples include a half-thaler from 1630 (from the same auction mentioned above, and previously from the Fürstenberg Collection, 1932) and an undated (1712) 10-ducat gold medal commemorating the bicentenary of the *Kreisverfassung* (regional constitution). A gold off-metal striking from the dies of the 1635 2-kreuzer coin appears to be entirely unpublished. Space does not permit further listing here. Otherwise, the collection offers coins across all price ranges; from an Erfurt copper coin priced at 10 euros to a 1772 ducat minted from Rhine gold (derived from a yield of 170 grams of gold), there is something for every collector.