Current auction sales
Auctions 444-445
April 21-24, 2026
Our four-day spring auction was a resounding success. The first day was entirely dedicated to the auction of the König Collection. This specialized collection of Celtic coins was in high demand and sparked widespread interest in this fascinating “fringe area” of classical numismatics—far beyond the narrow circle of specialists. Estimated at around €460,000, the collection achieved a total hammer price of €1.1 million, more than doubling its estimated value. Of the top bids, only four will be mentioned here, representing Gaul, the Boii, and the Eastern Celts: of the sought-after gold staters of the Parisii, No. 407 fetched the highest price at €38,000, likely due in part to the fact that this piece came from a duplicate sale by the British Museum. The extremely rare Hrusovka-type gold stater (No. 710), located in the territory of the Boii, increased its conservative estimate of €5,000 eightfold to €40,000, but was not yet the most expensive piece in this auction. That distinction belonged to the double stater of the Helvetii (No. 543), who were considered particularly wealthy in gold in antiquity, which jumped from €10,000 to €44,000. From the impressive series of East Celtic tetradrachms, the Wangenschnecke type (No. 751) achieved the highest hammer price at €19,000 (estimate: €5,000).
Classical antiquity was also in demand on the following auction days. Our customers particularly appreciated the items from larger collections, with the collections of Dr. Reiff and a teacher of classical languages being especially noteworthy. From the latter collection came the gold stater of the Bosporan client king Asandros, which sold for €10,000 (Lot 1090, Est. €7,500), and the rare silver stater from Ambrakia, which surprisingly rose from €750 to €6,000 (Lot 1131). From the former collection comes the tetradrachm of Lysimachus featuring a particularly handsome portrait of Alexander, which was worth €4,400 to the highest bidder (Lot 1242, Est. €250). The Roman coins also achieved consistently pleasing results, with the carefully selected pieces from the Dr. E. collection receiving special recognition. Among many others, a siliqua of Magnentius stood out with a price jump from €350 to €3,400 (Lot 1941), as did a sestertius featuring the magnificent portrait of Julia Soaemias (Lot 1882, reserve €150, hammer price €2,600).
On Thursday, as usual, the auction continued with the offer of the non-German coins with two highlights of the auction: A 300-gram Russian gold medal commemorating the death of Tsar Alexander II in 1881 was worth a hefty €75,000 to the telephone bidder (Lot 2631), and a rare and beautiful Swedish silver medal by Dadler from 1634, commemorating the transfer of the body of Gustav II Adolph to Sweden fetched €11,000. The remaining coins also achieved consistently satisfactory results, often via the internet. This was equally true for the large series of Habsburg and Salzburg talers and medals.
The auction of the Feudal German coins began with a bang, featuring the numismatically fascinating bracteates and denarii from the medieval Kusey hoard. There, it clearly demonstrated the true advantage of auctioning coins. The estimates, traditionally kept low by the numismatists of Peus, served merely as starting points. The hammer prices often reached four-digits. This was true for both the uniface bracteates as well as the rare double-sided coins. The other Feudal German coins and medals were also very well received, with some surprisingly high prices, often driven by advance bids that consistently exceeded the starting price. The title piece, a golden off-metal strike of 10 ducats from the rare 1606 taler of Frankfurt city, fetched €155,000 by telephone, thus doubling its estimate (Lot. 3033). Otherwise, the number of unsold lots could be counted on the fingers of both hands. Bracteates scattered throughout the catalog have recently enjoyed increasing popularity. A series of Pomeranian bracteates, likely from the Karrin hoard, in particular, consistently achieved record prices in the four-digit range (Lots 3208-3216, 3231).
The final day belonged to the German coins minted after 1871, which remained stable in price, and traditionally, to the multiple lots. These were once again well inspected by the bidders in advance, and their results often exceeded the estimates multifolds.
The great success of auctions 444/445, whose total sales nearly doubled the estimate, shows us two things: Historical collector coins are currently in high demand with collectors and investors alike, and Dr. Busso Peus Nachf. finds the highest-bidding customers from all over the world and achieves top prices on behalf of its consignors.