VOA文化艺术2024--Coin Collection to be Sold 100 Years after Owner's Death

Coin Collection to be Sold 100 Years after Owner's Death

A Danish businessman's large coin collection is set to go on sale one hundred years after his death. The collection could be worth up to $72 million.

Lars Emil Bruun directed lawyers what to do with the coin collection after his death in a legal document called a will. In it, Bruun required that his collection of about 20,000 coins be kept safe for 100 years before being sold. Deeply moved by the destruction of World War I and fearing another war, Bruun wanted the collection to be a reserve for Denmark.

Now, over a hundred years since Bruun's death at the age of 71 in 1923, the collection will begin to be sold.

New York-based Stack's Bowers¹, a rare coin auction² house, will begin selling the collection this fall. Several sales are planned. On its website, the auction house calls it the "most valuable collection of world coins to ever come to market." The collection's existence has not been widely known, and the public has never seen it before.

"When I first heard about the collection, I was in disbelief," said Vicken Yegparian of Stack's Bowers Galleries.

"We've had collections that have been off the market for 100 years plus," he said. "But they're extremely well known internationally. This one has been the best open secret ever."

Born in 1852, Bruun began to collect coins as a boy in the 1850s and 1860s. Years later, he grew very rich selling the milk product, butter.

His wealth permitted him to continue his hobby. Bruun went to auctions³, and he built a large collection that came to include 20,000 coins, medals, tokens and banknotes from Denmark, Norway and Sweden.

Following World War I, Bruun left exact instructions in his will for the collection.

"For a period of 100 years after my death, the collection shall serve as a reserve for the Royal Coin and Medal Collection," the will said.

It added, "Should the next century pass with the national collection intact, it shall be sold at public auction and the proceeds shall accrue⁴ to the persons who are my direct descendants."

Some descendants tried to break the will and get money early. But they were not successful. "I think the will and testament⁵ were pretty ironclad. There was no loophole," Yegparian said.

Yegparian estimated some pieces may sell for just $50, but others could be sold for over $1 million. He said possible buyers were requesting a list of the objects before the auction was announced.

The collection first remained at the former Danish royal residence of Frederiksborg Castle. Later, it was stored at Denmark's National Bank.

Denmark's National Museum had the right to purchase some of the coins before the public. The National Museum purchased seven rare coins from Bruun's collection. Six of the coins were gold and one was silver. They all were made between the 15th and 17th centuries by Danish or Norwegian rulers. A supporting group paid the cost of over $1.1 million.

Helle Horsnaes, a coin expert at the national museum, used the term unique - meaning one of a kind - to talk about those coins. She said, "We chose coins that were unique. They are described...as the only existing specimen⁶ of this kind."

Horsnaes expressed wonder about the collection: "The pure fact that this collection has been closed for a hundred years makes it a legend."

Words in This Story

coin -n. metal money that is round in shape

reserve - n. something set aside for a particular purpose, use, or reason

auction - n. a sale of something to the highest bidder⁷

hobby - n. an activity done for fun or relaxation⁸

intact - adj. untouched or unharmed

accrue - v. to come into existence as a legally enforceable claim; to come as a direct result of something

testament - n. an act by which a person outlines the uses of his or her property after death

ironclad - adj. very firm or secure

loophole - n. an unclear or doubtful item in a text through which the intent of a contract or obligation may be evaded⁹

specimen - n. an individual or item considered typical of a group

1 bowers   

n.（女子的）卧室( bower的名词复数 )；船首锚；阴凉处；鞠躬的人

参考例句：

• If Mr Bowers is right, low government-bond yields could lose their appeal and equities could rebound. 如果鲍尔斯先生的预计是对的，那么低收益的国债将会失去吸引力同时股价将会反弹。 来自互联网

2 auction   

n.拍卖；拍卖会；vt.拍卖

参考例句：

• They've put the contents of their house up for auction.他们把房子里的东西全都拿去拍卖了。
• They bought a new minibus with the proceeds from the auction.他们用拍卖得来的钱买了一辆新面包车。

3 auctions   

n.拍卖，拍卖方式( auction的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• They picked up most of the furniture at auctions in country towns. 他们大部分的家具都是在乡村镇上的拍卖处买的。 来自辞典例句
• Our dealers didn't want these cars, so we had to dump them at auctions. 我们的承销商都不要这些车子，因此我们只好贱价拍卖。 来自辞典例句

4 accrue   

v.(利息等)增大，增多

参考例句：

• Ability to think will accrue to you from good habits of study.思考能力将因良好的学习习惯而自然增强。
• Money deposited in banks will accrue to us with interest.钱存在银行，利息自生。

5 testament   

n.遗嘱；证明

参考例句：

• This is his last will and testament.这是他的遗愿和遗嘱。
• It is a testament to the power of political mythology.这说明，编造政治神话可以产生多大的威力。

6 specimen   

n.样本，标本

参考例句：

• You'll need tweezers to hold up the specimen.你要用镊子来夹这标本。
• This specimen is richly variegated in colour.这件标本上有很多颜色。

7 bidder   

n.(拍卖时的)出价人，报价人，投标人

参考例句：

• TV franchises will be auctioned to the highest bidder.电视特许经营权将拍卖给出价最高的投标人。
• The bidder withdrew his bid after submission of his bid.投标者在投标之后撤销了投标书。

8 relaxation   

n.松弛，放松；休息；消遣；娱乐

参考例句：

• The minister has consistently opposed any relaxation in the law.部长一向反对法律上的任何放宽。
• She listens to classical music for relaxation.她听古典音乐放松。

9 evaded   

逃避( evade的过去式和过去分词 )； 避开； 回避； 想不出

参考例句：

• For two weeks they evaded the press. 他们有两周一直避而不见记者。
• The lion evaded the hunter. 那狮子躲开了猎人。