17th century coin hidden during WWII sells for over $2 million

By James Gamble

A gold coin that had to be hidden from the Nazis has become one of the most expensive ever sold - at over $2.25m.

The rare 100 ducat gold coin of Ferdinand III of Habsburg, minted in the early 1600s, weighs around the same as a tin of soup.

It was sold at auction alongside other rare coins in the second sale of the Traveller Collection, which is expected to become the most valuable collection ever sold.

Other coins carried hefty estimates of $70,000 - but sold at auction for nearly $350,000.

The coins were part of a hoard of 15,000 that lay underground for over half a century after being buried by their anonymous collector, to prevent them from being looted during the Nazi invasion of mainland Europe.

The Traveller Collection is expected to fetch in excess of $100m (£74m) in total.

Numismatica Ars Classical's second auction of the collection, focusing on Central European coins, took place in Switzerland earlier this month.

The auction also marked the first time in history that two 100 ducat coins - the largest gold coins in historical times - have been offered in the same auction.

The 100 ducat gold coin of Ferdinand III of Habsburg was minted in 1629, when he was Archduke of Austria, King of Hungary, Croatia and Bohemia.

The coin is made of an extraordinary 348.5g of fine gold, making it the largest denomination of European gold coins ever minted in historical times.

A hundred coins were minted as a donation from the young king to German princes won over to the Habsburg cause during the Thirty Years' War.

One of only three of its kind known in the world, the coin carried an initial auction estimate of $1,157,700, but sold for a remarkable $2,257,870 - making it the most expensive European gold coin ever sold at auction.

The 100 ducat coin of the Polish king Sigismund III, minted in 1621, carried an auction price of $322,542, but sold for $259,529.

The two coins - among the largest in the history of European numismatics - were the two standouts in a collection stacked with large gold coins.

A 10 ducat ‘Portugalöser’ coin, minted in Hamburg between 1553 and 1566, represents the origin of this kind of large gold coin in the Central European region.

It was expected to fetch nearly $70,000, but sold at auction for nearly $350,000.

Many of the coins in the auction also commemorate pivotal moments in the history of European wars, such as the highly prized 10 Ducat coin from the city of Sibiu.

The coin is a testimony of the Transylvanian civil war at the beginning of the 17th century, and was expected to sell for nearly $140,000.

However, at auction it went for a shocking $463,395.

Previous auctions of the traveller collection have fetched more than £5.5m in total, whilst this latest sale reached a total nearly three times that, at $14,123,499.

The special collection was buried in Europe for over 50 years by its anonymous collector - known as the Traveller - to prevent the Nazis getting their hands on it during their invasion.

The collection spans all geographical areas and contains exceptionally rare coins in a state of preservation seldom seen in modern times.

Christian Stoess, former curator for medieval and early modern coins at the Coin Cabinet of the Berlin State Museums and cataloguer of this auction, said it had been 'one of the highlights' in his professional life.

“It is a privilege to be able to work on this unique collection," he said.

"The results of the 162nd auction were breathtaking, with numerous new record prices achieved.

"I am already looking forward to working on the next part of the Traveller collection.”