A staggering coin collection, valued at over $100 million, is set to be auctioned off over the next three years. The Traveller Collection, comprising coins from over 100 territories worldwide, is believed to be the most valuable coin collection ever to be auctioned. What makes this collection truly remarkable is its origin story: the majority of the coins were buried underground for over 50 years.
The collection’s original owner, who remains anonymous, began collecting coins after the 1929 Wall Street Crash. Over time, the collector amassed around 15,000 coins, including some extremely rare and historically significant pieces. The collector and their spouse traveled extensively throughout the Americas and Europe, acquiring coins and documenting their purchases.
As World War II loomed, the collector carefully packed the coins into cigar boxes, transferred them to aluminum boxes, and buried them underground, where they remained for five decades. The collection was later retrieved by the collector’s heirs and stored in a bank vault.
The auction house, Numismatica Ars Classica, has described the collection as “exceptionally rare” and “containing coins often in a state of preservation never seen in modern times.” The collection includes several highlights, such as a 100 ducat gold coin of Ferdinand III of Habsburg, minted in 1629, and an “exceedingly rare” set of five Tomans, minted in Tehran and Isfahan in the late 18th and early 19th centuries.
Arturo Russo, director of Numismatica Ars Classica, stated that the collection’s vast range, superb quality, and fascinating history will make these sales a landmark in the history of numismatics.
