Heritage World Coin Auctions
CCE Signature Sale 3054 7-8 April 2017
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Ancients
HERMITAGE MUSEUM COLLECTION. Electrotype presentation set. Made circa mid 1960s. A unique presentation set of electrotypes of key ancient coins in the collection of the Hermitage Museum of Saint Petersburg, Russia, created as a special gift to the noted medalist A. A. Koroliuk, chief designer for the (then) Leningrad Mint in the 1960s and 1970s, for his contributions to numismatic art. The set contains 376 electrotypes of important ancient coins, each with separate obverse and reverses, for a total of 752 pieces. The electrotype process produces an exact replica of the original coin, reproducing tiny surface details that are often missed by simple casts. Electrotypes are most often used in the academic field so that many institutions can study the design of rare and important ancient coins without the original having to leave the museum. The Hermitage collection contains some extremely significant coins which are reproduced in this set, including the famous Agrigentum (Acragas) decadrachm of circa 405 BC (pictured above), of which fewer than 10 genuine specimens are known to exist. The coins represented include important Classical Greek coins of Italy, Sicily, Mainland Greece, Asia Minor, Syria and Egypt; many key coins of the Hellenistic Kingdoms, including the Seleucid, Ptolemaic and Greco-Bactrian Kingdoms; key issues of the Parthian, Sasanian, and Kushan Kingdoms; and a broad representation of coins from the Roman Republic and Imperatorial periods. Gold, electrum, silver and a few bronze coins are represented, with the obverse and reverse surfaces colored to resemble the originals. While presentation sets have been made of coins from other museums (including, famously, the British Museum), this set appears to be unique. A. A. Koroliuk is credited with leading a "renaissance" in medallic art at the Leningrad Mint during his tenure there, and he is known to have drawn inspiration from the designs of ancient coins. The electrotypes are stored in plastic sleeves kept in two large binders, with Koroliuk's original handwritten notes in pencil and pen on each facing page. This set is offered by the family of Mr. Koroliuk, in memory of a great Russian medalist, and as an extremely important three-dimensional record of one of the world's great ancient coin collections. Must be examined to be appreciated!
Estimate: 10000-20000 USD
HERMITAGE MUSEUM COLLECTION. Electrotype presentation set. Made circa mid 1960s. A unique presentation set of electrotypes of key ancient coins in the collection of the Hermitage Museum of Saint Petersburg, Russia, created as a special gift to the noted medalist A. A. Koroliuk, chief designer for the (then) Leningrad Mint in the 1960s and 1970s, for his contributions to numismatic art. The set contains 376 electrotypes of important ancient coins, each with separate obverse and reverses, for a total of 752 pieces. The electrotype process produces an exact replica of the original coin, reproducing tiny surface details that are often missed by simple casts. Electrotypes are most often used in the academic field so that many institutions can study the design of rare and important ancient coins without the original having to leave the museum. The Hermitage collection contains some extremely significant coins which are reproduced in this set, including the famous Agrigentum (Acragas) decadrachm of circa 405 BC (pictured above), of which fewer than 10 genuine specimens are known to exist. The coins represented include important Classical Greek coins of Italy, Sicily, Mainland Greece, Asia Minor, Syria and Egypt; many key coins of the Hellenistic Kingdoms, including the Seleucid, Ptolemaic and Greco-Bactrian Kingdoms; key issues of the Parthian, Sasanian, and Kushan Kingdoms; and a broad representation of coins from the Roman Republic and Imperatorial periods. Gold, electrum, silver and a few bronze coins are represented, with the obverse and reverse surfaces colored to resemble the originals. While presentation sets have been made of coins from other museums (including, famously, the British Museum), this set appears to be unique. A. A. Koroliuk is credited with leading a "renaissance" in medallic art at the Leningrad Mint during his tenure there, and he is known to have drawn inspiration from the designs of ancient coins. The electrotypes are stored in plastic sleeves kept in two large binders, with Koroliuk's original handwritten notes in pencil and pen on each facing page. This set is offered by the family of Mr. Koroliuk, in memory of a great Russian medalist, and as an extremely important three-dimensional record of one of the world's great ancient coin collections. Must be examined to be appreciated!
Estimate: 10000-20000 USD