Selections from what is accepted as the finest collection of coins from the Netherlands ever assembled will be sold in Heritage’s World and Ancient Coins Platinum Session and Signature Auction on November 1-2.
“This is a remarkable auction, with elite offerings for collectors of both world coins and ancient coins,” says Cris Bierrenbach, Executive Vice President of International Numismatics at Heritage Auctions. “The Coenen Collection is widely accepted as perhaps the premier assemblage of Netherlands and Dutch Colonial coins in existence, while the ancients section includes several top certified examples with the Byzantine period, from which this auction includes multiple coins from the top of their populations.”
Among the 21 offerings from the Coenen Collection of Dutch Coins is a Provincial gold Proof Pattern Ducaton (Silver Rider) 1672 PR63 NGC that is the only certified example across NGC and PCGS and the first emission of this 11 Ducat weight that Heritage Auctions experts could locate at auction in recent memory. A magnificent selection from the coveted Dutch Rider series, it is one of the best off-metal and off-weight types ever handled at Heritage Auctions. Originally conceived in the Seven Provinces in 1659, the Ducatoon (Ducaton) — also known as the Silver Rider — came to fruition during a century in which the Netherlands was at the peak of its power and influence around the globe. While the silver issues of the type are highly collectible and command a significant premium when encountered in Choice preservation, the off-metal gold presentation issues are of an entirely different class in terms of both rarity and desirability.
Also from the Coenen Collection is a near-Choice Willem I silver Proof Trial 25 Cents 1817 PR62 NGC — a stunning silver Trial of this 25 Cent type, deemed significantly rare by Schulman as supported by the absence of certified representatives apart from this very piece and the dearth of auction results for the emission. Several Trials in various metals were produced throughout 1817 and 1818 in anticipation of the issue that would enter circulation in 1819. The offered example is just shy of a Choice designation due to some scattered handling marks on the open expanses, fully acceptable for this open-plan design. September 2023 was the first time this Trial was made available to the public in recent memory, when each of two offered examples in excess of $90,000.
Collectors of British coins will be thrilled with the options found in 209 lots offered in this auction, a list that includes a Victoria gold “Coronation” Medal 1838 MS63 NGC. Created by Benedetto Pistrucci, this magnificent coronation medal represents an always in-demand type when located in gold. Distinguished by a Choice assignment, the offered example is the second-finest handled at Heritage in recent decades, and ranks among the top three in both censuses.
A George III gold Proof Sovereign 1817 PR63 Cameo NGC represents a coin far rarer than the 1817 1/2 Sovereign, which is seen with some regularity at Heritage. There are just 10 on NGC’s census, and nine at PCGS, some of which might be crossovers, making this a trophy-level addition to any collection of British gold coinage.
The auction features an impressive selection of coins from France, a trove that includes key-date 100 and 50 Franc coins that have grown in popularity in recent years.
Among the top lots are a pair of Republic gold 100 Francs coins — one a near-Gem 100 1896-A MS64 NGC from an original mintage of just 400, and the other a 1894-A MS61 NGC from an even smaller mintage of just 143.
Minted to commemorate the birth of Napoleon’s son, the “King of Rome,” on March 20, 1811, a Napoleon gold “King of Rome” Medal 1811-Dated MS60 NGC is a historically significant and sought-after medal that is seldom seen in this broad format.
Ancient Coins
Besides the Dutch, British, and French coins in this sale, the auction boasts two sessions of remarkable ancient coinage, an array that represents nearly every major area of antiquarian numismatics. Each session begins with a series of remarkable Greek issues.
Among the top highlights is more than rare: a unique Unpublished Stater of Menelaus, King of Cyprus, which is the first coin of Menelaus offered in a major auction in more than two decades.
Collectors looking for weighty additions to their collections need look no further than a Syracuse decadrachm in the Platinum session featuring a charioteer driving a quadriga and a Macedonian Alexander III the Great (336-323 BC). AR decadrachm (33mm, 36.58 g, 6h). NGC VF 4/5 – 1/5 that are among the highlights in the auction’s exceptional series of staters.
The auction will draw the attention of serious Judean collectors, for whom top choices will include an array of half shekels, including a Jewish War (AD 66-70). AR half-shekel (18mm, 6.61 g, 12h). NGC Choice AU 5/5 – 3/5 and a Jewish War (AD 66-70). AR shekel (22mm, 13.74 g, 11h). NGC Choice AU★ 5/5 – 4/5; according to Hendin, 220 Year 3 shekels are known to have survived, but that is more than double the 105 recorded half-shekels that are known to survive.
An extremely rare Constantine XI Palaeologus (AD 1448-1453). AR eighth-stavraton (12mm, 0.63 g, 7h). NGC Choice XF 3/5 – 4/5 is the kind of coin — small, crude and not “pretty” by most standards — that some might overlook. But this less-than-a-gram coin speaks volumes. It was minted under Constantine XI while the city of Constantinople was under siege by the Ottoman Army. The emperor ordered the silver holy vessels to be melted and made into coins to pay the laborers who were frantically bolstering the defenses in a futile attempt to stave off the 60,000 soldiers who would eventually overrun the city. This issue represents the last “ancient” coin, appealing both to collectors of ancients and siege coinage.
Imperial collectors will find similar allure in the auction, starting with a Otho (15 January-16 April AD 69). AV aureus (18mm, 7.21 g, 6h). NGC Choice VF 4/5 – 3/5. Gold aurei like this example, which is one of 14 lots in the auction from the Lattermer Collection, are rare and coveted by collectors and often are referred to as the “key” coin in any set of the first 12 Caesars.
Images and information about all lots in the Heritage Coenen Collection of Dutch Coins auction can be found at HA.com/3119.
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