The floor sessions of Auctions #39 and #40 in Prague have closed – but the auction week is far from over. On Monday 26 October at 6:00 pm we open eLive Auction #40, and for five more evenings collectors and investors will compete for rare coins, medals and banknotes.
Until Friday 30 October, more than 2,700 lots (Nos. 2001–4720) will be offered every day from 6:00 pm. After strong floor sessions that redefined price levels for many important coins and medals, this is another opportunity to secure the piece your collection is still missing.
TREFANEC COLLECTION: a collection born of character
There are collections formed out of whim, and there are collections born of character. The collection of František Trefanec (1904–1983) belongs unequivocally to the latter. A man who spent his whole career auditing other people’s balance sheets applied the same focus, order and consistency to the world of coins.
Born one of twelve children in a small village in the Bohemian Forest, he graduated with honours from the Commercial Academy in Pilsen and rose through the banking ranks to become head of the industrial audit department and an authorised signatory. From 1950 he worked at the State Bank of Czechoslovakia – despite enormous pressure and relentless political background checks. He kept painstaking records of every coin he acquired and was knowledgeable in metallurgy, monetary history and counterfeits.
He never spoke publicly about his collection. Given where he worked, collecting posed a significant risk – and so for decades numismatics remained his private, secret world, an island of freedom beyond the reach of political pressure. After his death, the collection stayed locked in a cabinet exactly as he had left it.
František Trefanec · a secret photograph of his numismatic work, 1960 · František with his brother Jan Trefanec, 1940 (from the eLive Auction #40 catalogue)
While floor Auction #40 featured, among other things, Polish gold coins bearing Count Potocki’s collector’s mark, the eLive sale continues with a further part of the collection. It offers a fine cross-section of the coinage of the Bohemian lands – from Celtic coinage through denarii and bracteates to groschen – along with Habsburg and noble-family issues, German coins from the 16th century to the Weimar Republic collected by date and mint mark, and coinage of Imperial Russia in exceptional condition. The eLive offering is complemented by a broad selection of coins and banknotes from the Celts to the present day, including world numismatics.
Selected highlights
Coins
- Great Britain, Sovereign (30 shillings) 1553, London – a 44 mm gold coin, an exceptional specimen – starting price €10,000 (Lot 4588)
- Vereinskrone 1860, Francis Joseph I – only 557 pieces struck, TREFANEC COLLECTION – starting price €5,000 (Lot 3580)
- 1/2 Vereinskrone 1859, Francis Joseph I, TREFANEC COLLECTION – starting price €3,200 (Lot 3581)
- 10 Kč 1993 (variety) – 1,000 pattern strikes that mistakenly entered circulation – starting price €3,000 (Lot 3958)
- Ducat 1835, Ferdinand V – an exceptional specimen with mint lustre in the fields – starting price €2,000 (Lot 3421)
- 2 Ducats 1935, Czechoslovakia, Kremnica – starting price €1,500 (Lot 3864)
Banknotes
Banknotes form a chapter of their own in the eLive sale. The offering includes rare Czechoslovak notes, including specimen notes such as the 500 Kč 1929 C, which also graces the cover of the eLive catalogue.
Banknotes on offer in eLive Auction #40
- Zemská banka Království českého voucher 20 K 1919, series 0003 – starting price €3,000 (Lot 4597)
- 100 Kč 1919, series 0004 – starting price €2,000 (Lot 4615)
- 500 Kč 1923 B – starting price €2,000 (Lot 4611)
- 1000 Kč 1919 A – starting price €1,500 (Lot 4607)
- 500 Kč 1929 C (specimen) in excellent condition with pronounced intaglio printing – starting price €800 (Lot 4614)
How to bid
- live online via the AUEX bidding system
- absentee bids placed in advance via AUEX
If you are new to AUEX, please register in good time to ensure smooth bidding.
First Republic coin cabinet giveaway
Win at least one lot from the TREFANEC COLLECTION in eLive Auction #40 as well and enter the draw for the coin cabinet that housed Trefanec’s collection for decades. 👉 Giveaway rules
The First Republic oak coin cabinet that housed František Trefanec’s collection for decades
See you on Monday at 6:00 pm – the auction continues.
