Sun Sep 15 02:45:00 UTC 2024: ## Danish Coin Collection From Butter Magnate Fetches Millions at Auction
**Copenhagen, Denmark** – A portion of a 20,000-piece Danish coin collection, amassed by butter magnate Lars Emil Bruun, has been sold at auction in Copenhagen, generating a staggering €14.8 million (approximately $16.4 million) on Saturday alone.
Bruun, a coin expert and entrepreneur, acquired the collection from the aristocratic Bille-Brahe family in 1922. After witnessing the devastation of World War I, he stipulated in his will that the collection be kept in reserve for a century, fearing another conflict or attack on Copenhagen.
The collection, which includes rare coins and medals from Denmark, Norway, Sweden, and England dating back to the Viking age, is expected to be the most valuable non-US coin collection ever sold.
The auction, conducted by Stack’s Bowers, saw 286 coins go under the hammer, with some fetching impressive sums. A 15th-century gold coin known as a Hans Noble, of which only two are confirmed to exist in museums, sold for €1.2 million, significantly exceeding its estimated price of €300,000-€600,000.
A 17th-century 10 ducat coin, or Portugaloser, described as unique in private hands and one of only four believed to exist, also fetched over half a million euros.
The auction will continue over the next several years, with proceeds going to Bruun’s direct relatives as outlined in his will.
“This collection is unique in many ways, partly because it’s so valuable, but also because it’s been kept safe as a sleeping beauty for 100 years with nobody having access to the coins,” said Michael Fornitz, a professional numismatist overseeing the sale.
First Piper 