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Rare 1629 ‘Golden Giant’ Coin Sells for 1.9 Million Swiss Francs at Zürich Auction

Drawn from a long-hidden 1930s trove, the 100‑Dukaten piece is one of only four known examples.

Overview

  • Numismatica Ars Classica reported the hammer price and kept the buyer confidential, with fees pushing the total outlay to roughly €2.6 million.
  • The coin comes from a roughly 15,000‑piece collection assembled in the 1930s, much of which was buried in garden cigar boxes as the Nazis advanced and recovered in the 1990s.
  • It bears a portrait of Ferdinand III, with the other known examples cited as being in the National Museum Budapest, the Smithsonian in Washington and private hands.
  • Catalog author Christian Stoess states that about 90% of the collection's purchases were completed before 1933, a point presented to counter Nazi‑era looting concerns.
  • The lot beat its 1.25 million CHF estimate as the family releases portions of the cache through Numismatica Ars Classica, which is withholding identities of the sellers.