They collected coins all over the world, from all eras. They hid them from Hitler. Now they're up for auction

Fifteen thousand unique coins from more than a hundred countries. From 2,600 years ago to the modern era. Purchased in the 1930s by a European collector and his wife on a cross-continental honeymoon. When the war came, they hid the coins. Decades later, they were rediscovered. Today, they're heading to auction and rewriting numismatic history.

The true identity of the original collector known as "The Traveller" remains a mystery. According to available information, he was a European heir to a family business who, in the 1930s, turned his interest in physical gold (in response to the 1929 crisis) into a passion for numismatics. He and his wife travelled to a number of countries on several continents during their so-called "long honeymoon" and assembled an unparalleled collection of coins. When the Nazis and the war approached, they hid the coins in the garden of the family mansion.

The collection was not unearthed again until the 1990s. At first, the family did not know what their treasure was actually worth. But it gradually turned out to be one of the greatest numismatic discoveries in history. The collection contains nearly 15,000 gold, silver and bronze coins from more than 100 countries, ranging in age from ancient Greece and Rome to the modern British monarchy.

Of particular note, for example, is the Victoria Pattern Five Pounds coin, which during the recent auction in recent times, when it sold for an impressive 800,000 Swiss francs (over 21 million crowns). Similarly attractive was the Greek decadrachm from Sicily, which found a new owner for CHF 460,000 (over 12 million crowns).

The coin "Solidus Mezezius" (a Byzantine gold solidus minted in Syracuse around 668-669 AD) was on display at Numismatica Ars Classica Auction 154, which took place on 19 May. It is one of only eight known in the world. Moreover, it is in excellent condition. It was estimated at CHF 80,000 but auctioned for CHF 240,000 (6.3 million crowns), a record for any known coin with the portrait of Emperor Mezezi, whose reign lasted only a few months before he was overthrown and subsequently executed.

Among the most valuable exhibits is also a gold coin of Ferdinand III worth 100 ducats from 1629, weighing a staggering 348.5 grams. Its price was estimated at 1.35 million dollars (just over 28 million crowns).

Experts now estimate the total value of the collection at more than 100 million US dollars (over 2.1 billion crowns), making it one of the most important numismatic collections in history. However, the real value will only become apparent after it is sold off. A total of 15 auctions are planned over four years. These auctions are attracting huge interest from collectors around the world and are achieving record results.

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Sources: thetravellercollection.com, cnn.com, dailygalaxy.com

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