Goldberg Coins and Collectibles

Sale 46

The Millennia Collection

Switzerland

Lot	Photo	Description	Realized
Lot 852		Basel. Goldgulden ND (c.1644). Fr-25a variant. City coinage. 3.24 grams. 22.80 mm. Obv: Arms without leaf decoration, within adorned cartouche. Leg: + MON.NOVA.AVREA.BASILEENSIS. Reverse Cross and orb within a more decortated hexafoil. Leg: (star) DOMINE.CONSERVA.NOS.IN.PACE. Rare. NGC graded AU-58. Estimated Value $4,000 - 5,000. ().* View details and enlarged photos	Unsold
Lot 853		Switzerland -- Basel. Silver 2 Taler, ND. Dav-1741; KM-71. City name in cartouche above city view; wreath border. Reverse: City arms at center of circular border of eight arms in circular shields. Excellent, bold strike, with ever-present doubling minimal here. Handling marks fairly modest, with much of the mint luster remaining. Beautifully toned in delicate multi-colored hues, with a predominance of blues and greens. Rare. NGC graded MS-63. Basel, located on the Rhine River, has been a major port for centuries. The ships can pass all the way to Rotterdam and from there enter the world's oceans. Basel borders both Germany and France. In fact, its airport is located completely in France, which makes customs formalities most interesting. Estimated Value $4,000 - 5,000. View details and enlarged photos	Realized $5,520
Lot 854		Switzerland -- Bern. Silver Guldiner (Taler) 1494. Dav-8721. Double eagle over bear. Seven shields above and a border of 20 shields. Reverse: Date, saint standing with book and quill in a border of crosses. Handsome example of one of the only pre-1500 talers to be occasionally available. Rare. NGC graded EF-45. After the Guldiner of the Tyrol, this is the earliest dated Taler, a coin the Swiss are very proud of and justifiably so. Nearly half a millenium after this show piece was struck, a clerk at the Bern patent office worked out his theory of relativity while business was slow. His name was Albert Einstein. Estimated Value $5,000 - 6,000. Ex Irving Goodman Collection. View details and enlarged photos	Realized $9,200
Lot 855		Bern. Ducat, 1658. Fr-123; KM-29. City coinage. 3.43 grams. 21.80 mm. Obv: Decorated oval cartouche with bear. Leg: MON.AVREA. REIPVB. BERN. 1658. Reverse Double eagle. Berthold, V, Duke of Zahringen, founder of the City of Bern. Leg: BERCHT: DVX: ZERING. COND.BERN. Very Rare. NGC graded MS-62.* The bear is the symbol of Bern. One can go to visit the city and see the revered bears kept in a special enclave. Estimated Value $7,000 - 8,000. ().* View details and enlarged photos	Unsold
Lot 856		Switzerland -- Bern. Silver Taler, 1679-VB. Dav-4619; KM-46 var. 27.88 grams. Oval arms with bear emblem, within ornate cartouche; date below. Reverse: Cruciform monogram comprised of back to back "B"s, with central star. Devices with velvety luster, on exceptionally clean reflective fields. Rare in this grade. A coin in remarkable condition! NGC graded MS-65. Estimated Value $2,000 - 2,500. View details and enlarged photos	Realized $4,830
Lot 857		Switzerland -- Bern. Gold Ducat, 1741. Fr-172; KM-103; HMZ-214; Loh.-100. 3.42 grams. Crowned arms of bear emblem, within ornate cartouche; date below. Reverse: Four-line inscription within frame of arabesques, value at bottom. Devices lustrous, on mirror fields -- some modest hairlines on reverse; a few contact marks on obverse. NGC graded MS-62. Bern was allegedly founded by Duke Berthold of Zahringen. In 1191, Berthold killed a bear nearby and named the city after the animal (a Baer) he had slain. The bear has become the symbol of the city, and a bear likeness can be seen on its coins. Bears are still kept in a pit (Baerengraben), which can be visited. The Swiss dialect spoken there is absolutely impossible to understand for all those but locals. Estimated Value $1,000 - 1,500. View details and enlarged photos	Realized $1,380
Lot 858		Switzerland -- Bern. Gold Half Duplone, 1797. Fr-391; KM-162; HMZ-215; Loh.-158. 3.81 grams. Crowned shield with bear emblem, wreath below. Reverse: Swiss soldier to right, holding halbard and fasces. Sharp strike, with mirror fields -- some slight to modest hairlines. Delightful red toning on soldier. NGC graded MS-61. Estimated Value $1,000 - 1,250. View details and enlarged photos	Realized $1,260
Lot 859		Switzerland -- Helvetian Republic. Gold 32 Franken, 1800-B. Fr-282; KM-13. Warrior standing. Reverse: Value and date within wreath. Rare. A premium example. NGC graded MS-64. The Helvetian Republic was an artificial administrative state established by the French. The French Revolution produced much fervor and nationalistic sentiment. The French armies overran Switzerland and abolished the tradtional cantonal system. The Swiss hated the French occupation, and coup attempts were commonplace. The Republic lasted only until 1803. This was the only time the Swiss cantons were successfully attacked. Estimated Value $3,500 - 4,000. View details and enlarged photos	Realized $8,100
Lot 860		Switzerland - Schwyz. Ducat, 1844-M. Fr-380; KM-66; DT-80. Lion holding shield. Reverse Legend within wreath. Mintage of only 50 pieces. Extremely Rare. NGC graded MS-63. Estimated Value $8,000 - 9,000. ().* View details and enlarged photos	Realized $17,250
Lot 861		Switzerland -- Solothurn. Gold Double Duplone, 1798. Fr-390; KM-61; HMZ-861; SMK-102d; Leu-Sim.-288. 15.25 grams. Crowned and garlanded arms. Reverse: St Ursus, patron of the city, stands frontal, nimbate and in armor, holding spear with banner. Devices satiny, on mirror fields -- some modest hairlines, mostly cabinet friction, evident in the reverse field. Details of St Ursus slightly flat at legs. Light reddish toning in the recesses. NGC graded MS-63. In the canton of Solothurn, eleven is its lucky number. It was the eleventh member of the Swiss Confederation, and the city contains eleven churches and chapels, eleven historical fountains, and eleven towers. The local word for eleven is "oeufi" and a local beer of that name is quite popular. Estimated Value $3,000 - 3,500. View details and enlarged photos	Realized $3,105
Lot 862		Switzerland -- Solothurn. Gold Duplone, 1798. Fr-391; KM-60; HMZ-862; SMK-101d. 7.59 grams. Crowned and garlanded arms. Reverse: St Ursus, patron of the city, stands frontal, in armor, holding spear with banner. Devices lustrous, on mirror fields -- some modest hairlines, mostly cabinet friction, evident in the reverse field. Light reddish toning in the recesses. Rare error, in that the Saint's nimbus was omitted. NGC graded MS-62 Prooflike. Solothurn is also known as St Ursen.The name recalls the legend of the two Roman legionnaires, Urs and Victor, who were beheaded in Solothurn because of their Christian beliefs. In honour of their martyrdom and the associated miracles, both were declared city saints. St Ursen Cathedral dominates the city skyline and is its emblem. Estimated Value $1,250 - 1,500. View details and enlarged photos	Realized $1,840
Lot 863		Switzerland -- Zürich. Gold Ducat, 1775. Fr-486; KM-161. Lion and arms. Reverse: Legend in wreath. A handsome piece, a classic of its era. NGC graded MS-62. Estimated Value $700 - 800. View details and enlarged photos	Realized $1,150
Lot 864		Switzerland -- Zürich. Silver Guldiner (Taler), 1512. Dav-8771; Divo-4; Hu-422. Three figures with heads in hands, date below. Reverse: Three shields crowned and supported by two lions in circle of 16 shields. Curious with three saints standing, holding their own decapitated heads! Very early dated taler. Rare and historically compelling, this is one of the best struck and most attractive pieces to be found. NGC graded AU-55. The three figures portrayed here are the saints Regula and Felix, with their servant Exuperantius. Legend has it that they were Roman soldiers of the Theban legion, and when the legion was to be executed they fled. They were caught and beheaded. Yet, headless, they walked forty paces up a hill. The site of their execution is where the wasserkirche stands in the old city of Zurich. Estimated Value $9,000 - 10,000. Ex Irving Goodman Collection; Ex John Story Jenks collection and M & M's 45th anniversary sale in 1971 (realized CHF 4300). View details and enlarged photos	Realized $14,950
Lot 865		Switzerland -- Zürich. Silver Guldiner (Taler), 1512. Dav-8771; Divo-4; Hu-422. Three saints with heads in hands, date below. Reverse: Three shields crowned and supported by two lions in circle of 16 shields. Curious with three saints standing, holding their own decapitated heads. Very early dated taler. Rare and a delightful example. NGC graded AU-50. Zurich ventured rather early to experiment with the large silver Guldengroschen, or Thaler-sized coins, which were becoming popular among European economic entities during the previous decade or two. Artistically speaking, new ventures in coinage, such as seen here, often get overburdened with too many civic trappings and symbolism. Switzerland's art at the time was every bit as conservative as north German art was then, if not more so. This produced for their new coin a quaint medieval style, richly decorative, with densely packed detail filling the abundant surfaces of these large silver coins. Estimated Value $3,500 - 4,000. Ex John Story Jenks collection and M&M's 45th anniversary sale in 1971 (realized CHF 4300). View details and enlarged photos	Realized $6,038
Lot 866		Switzerland -- Zürich. Gold Ducat, 1723. Fr-486; KM-140. Rampant lion and arms. Reverse: Legend within wreath-bordered cartouche. A beautiful example. NGC graded MS-63. Zurich, being one of Europe's leading commercial centers, issued this gold ducat as a trade coinage and it circulated freely with other gold ducats of the period. Estimated Value $1,500 - 2,000. View details and enlarged photos	Realized $1,898
Lot 867		Switzerland -- Zurich. Taler, 1727. Dav-1784; KM-144; Hurl-592; HMZ-1163. Garnished oval shield supported by twin rampant lions. Reverse: Aerial view of city divided by river, date below in Baroque cartouche. Sharp, a virtually full strike. Lustrous devices on prooflike fields. Light russet to iridescent toning. NGC graded MS-63. Estimated Value $1,000 - 1,250. View details and enlarged photos	Realized $1,680
Lot 868		Switzerland. Silver 5 Francs, 1851-A. Dav- 376; KM-11. Figure of Switzerland seated left, arm resting on shield. Reverse: Value and date, within oak and flower wreath. Exceptional surfaces and strike. Satiny luster, with devices outlined in multi-colored iridescent toning. Rare in high grade. NGC graded MS-65. During the 19th century, Europe moved closer and closer to a uniform coinage. Although predating the attempted final solution in the matter, the Union Latine accords of 1865 (which were stewarded by Napoleon III of France), Switzerland's largest silver coin was already equivalent to the French 5 Francs and the Italian 5 Lire (and the earlier silver Scudo), all of which tended to be slightly lighter than the various German "Convention" talers, but significantly heavier than the "Vereins" talers. Estimated Value $1,500 - 1,750. View details and enlarged photos	Realized $2,875