LONDON, Eng. – A historic trove of coins known as the Traveller Collection—buried for more than five decades and long hidden from scholars and collectors—is set to be auctioned by Numismatica Ars Classica (NAC) in what’s being hailed as the most significant single collection sale in the history of numismatics.
According to NAC, the Traveller Collection is insured for more than $100 million and will be offered over a three-year series of auctions, beginning on May 20, 2025. Comprising some 15,000 coins spanning more than 100 regions and dating from antiquity to the modern era, every lot is appearing on the market for the first time in nearly a century.
“This is the most valuable numismatic collection ever to come to auction in its entirety,” said Arturo Russo, director of NAC. “The vast range and superb quality of the coins offered, the sheer number of great rarities, and the fascinating story of the collection’s formation will make these sales a landmark in the history of numismatics.”
A collection buried by war
As NAC details, the Traveller Collection was assembled during the 1930s by a European collector who began acquiring gold coins following the 1929 Wall Street Crash. Alongside his wife, he spent much of the next decade travelling across Europe and the Americas, acquiring coins with great historical interest, artistic merit, and rarity. Their purchases were meticulously documented and carefully stored in cigar boxes.
When the threat of Nazi invasion loomed, the collector chose to remain in Europe, reportedly due to the difficulty of transporting his growing collection. Instead, he buried the coins in aluminium boxes on his property. Tragically, he died shortly after the Nazi occupation began, and the collection remained undisturbed underground for more than 50 years. It was only in recent years that his heirs recovered the hoard and placed it in secure storage before presenting it to NAC.
“The catalogues of the Traveller Collection will serve as an important reference for future collectors and scholars,” Russo added.
Highlights of the collection
The collection includes a series of previously unrecorded rarities, many in superb condition. Among the standout items from the forthcoming sales:
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A 100 ducat gold coin of Ferdinand III of Habsburg, dated 1629, weighing 348.5 grams of fine gold. Unseen at auction since before World War II, the coin is estimated at CHF 1.2 million (approx. £1,048,854 / $1.8 million CAD).
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A 70 ducat coin of Polish King Sigismund III, minted in 1621 and weighing around 243 grams of gold, estimated at CHF 450,000 (approx. £394,260 / $675,000 CAD).
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An Australian Port Philip One Ounce coin, a rare pattern piece minted in conjunction with the 1854 Melbourne Exhibition and later shown in Paris in 1855. Estimated at CHF 250,000 (approx. £218,511 / $375,000 CAD), it features an early depiction of a kangaroo and was struck by the Kangaroo Office, one of Australia’s earliest mints.
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A set of Persian gold Tomans from the Qajar dynasty, including a 50 Toman piece weighing over 400 grams of gold. Only five complete sets are known, and this one is expected to fetch CHF 1.5–2 million (approx. £1.31–1.75 million / $2.25–3 million CAD).
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A gold stater of Athens, struck in 296 BCE by Lachares from the melted gold of the Athena Parthenos statue, estimated at CHF 125,000 (approx. £109,515 / $188,000 CAD).
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A George III 1777 Pattern Five Guinea piece, one of only seven known, estimated at CHF 300,000 (approx. £262,900 / $450,000 CAD).
British focus in first sale
The inaugural auction this May will focus on the British machine-struck coins from the Traveller Collection, ranging from Charles II to George VI. Among the most notable is a high-grade 1839 “Una and the Lion” £5 gold coin by William Wyon—widely regarded as one of the most beautiful coins in British numismatics—estimated at CHF 250,000 (approx. £218,921 / $375,000 CAD).
“These British coins were of such high quality and so fresh to the market, I had to keep pinching myself,” said David Guest, director of David Guest Numismatics and consultant to the collection. “Many of the pieces had not been offered for sale in over 80 years—and some were entirely unrecorded.”
Exhibition and future sales
Coins from the first sale will be exhibited at NAC’s London office throughout April, with additional highlights to be announced. Future auctions will continue to unveil selections from this once-lost collection, many of which can be traced through archival records to prominent 19th- and early 20th-century coin sales.
With its exceptional rarity, historical breadth, and compelling backstory, the Traveller Collection is poised to captivate the numismatic world in what promises to be a series of auctions for the ages.