Collectors and bidders did not miss a unique opportunity to acquire Marie Therese's coronation medals and tokens at an auction in Prague. A gold medal of Maria Theresa from 1741, of which only one example appeared on the market, was auctioned for CZK 2,884,000 including the auction premium. The rare banknote, designed by the world-famous painter and graphic artist Alfons Mucha, was acquired at auction by a new owner for CZK 243,000 including the auction premium.
Collectors and investors who met on Friday at the auction, organized by the auction house Macho & Chlapovič in Prague, could choose from many unique specimens. Among the auction's attractions were coronation medals and tokens created on the occasion of Maria Theresa's coronation as Queen of Hungary in Bratislava on June 25, 1741. "A gold coronation medal weighing 15 ducats was offered to collectors at auction with a starting price of CZK 1,518,000 and the auctioneer won it for CZK 2,884,000 including the auction surcharge," Says Elisha Macho, co-founder of the auction house Macho & Chlapovič.
In addition to the medals and tokens made for the actual act of coronation, we also know of coronation commemorative medals. "These medals were struck after the coronation itself and probably used as representative medals," explains Macho. Two of these precious medals were auctioned at the auction, a 1741 gold medal weighing ten ducats, which was sold for CZK 2 125 000 including the auction premium, and a 1741 gold medal weighing five ducats, which was auctioned for CZK 1 275 000 including the auction premium.
Collectors also auctioned an extremely rare 1506 Vladislav II. Jagiellonian. The starting price was CZK 1,518,000 and the golden guldiner from Kremnica was finally auctioned for CZK 3,340,000 including the auction surcharge. The so-called guldineras are the predecessors of the tolar and are considered to be a hybrid mintage between a coin and a medal, as they did not yet have a standardised weight. Although they were a means of payment, they primarily fulfilled a representative function. These coins were undoubtedly among the most beautiful coins in the world at the time. The auctioned piece is the first six ducats minted in Kremnica and is one of two known specimens weighing six ducats, even the most beautiful known piece on the market.
Coins from the Celtic period, more than 2,000 years old, were also auctioned, e.g. a quarter of a torques statue with a bidding price of CZK 506,000. "A coin of this type and denomination has never been auctioned before. It is well preserved and has become the pride of the collector who acquired it at auction for CZK 1,973,000 including the auction surcharge," evaluates Macho. Other Celtic coins have also aroused great interest among collectors and investors. For example, the final price of the silver Celtic coin of the Bratislava hexadrachm oppida was 2,125,000 including the auction surcharge, while its starting price was 354,000.
The autumn auction also included a wide range of banknotes consisting of more than 300 specimens. An extremely rare anulat with only a few pieces - 100 Ks 1940, by the Slovak painter and graphic artist Štefan Bednár, was auctioned for CZK 213,000, and a 10 K 1919 voucher, by Alfons Mucha in collaboration with Jan Štenec, was sold for CZK 243,000 including the auction surcharge.
The live auction took place on Friday 25 October 2024 at the Mandarin Oriental Prague and then the eLive part of the auction will take place from 28 to 31 October. A total of over 1,900 coins, medals and banknotes were offered in the auctions, and their auctioned value will probably exceed CZK 100 million, compared to the originally estimated CZK 75 million.
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