The Bavarian Collection

[Jochen]

The ''Bavarian Collection"

On March 18. 1993 a collection under the name 'The Bavarian Collection' was sold by Numismatic Fine Arts, containing nearly 3500 coins split into 352 lots. This collection was compiled by an anonymous German collector in the years from 1890 until 1930. His main interest were the Roman billon and bronze coins of the 3rd and 4th century AD. From the auction catalog: "Incredibly, this vast assemblage has remained essentially undisturbed during the last half century, each piece still in its original envelope accomanied by its original ticket." I have known from this collection already very early in my career as collector by the article "A Coin from the Bavarian Collection" by Dough Smith whose invaluable website http//doughsmith.ancients.info I highly recommend. Now I could acquire myself some of the coins from this collection from which I want to share two exemplars. And naturally I add something of the background.

Coin #1:
Fausta, Augusta AD 324-326, 2nd wife of Constantine I
AE 3, 3.85g, 19.26mm
Trier, AD 326, 1st officina
obv. FLAV MAX - FAVSTA AVG   
       Bust, draped, with necklace, r.: hair in 5 waves and small bun in neck
rev. SALVS REI - PVBLICAE
      Fausta, in long garmant and veiled, stg. l., holding two infants at her breast
      in ex. STR crescent with dot in cavity
ref. RIC VII, Trier 483; C.6
about VF, slightly rough
pedigree:
ex Marc Breitsprecher (Ancient Imports)
ex coll. Victor Failmezger (plate coin)
ex Numismatic Fine Arts Auction 3/93, Lot 1919
ex old Bavarian coll. #473, acquired AD 1919(?)

Coin #2:
Constantine II, AD 317-340
AE 3, 2.81g
Aquileia, AD 321, 3rd officina
obv. CONSTANTINVS IVN NOB C
       Bust, draped and cuirassed, laureate, l.
rev. CAESARVM NOSTRORVM
      Laurel wreath inscribed with VOT / X
      in ex. dot AQT dot
ref. RIC VII, Aquileia 95; C.39
R1!, F+/about VF, nearly black patina
pedigree:
ex Marc Breitsprecher (Ancient Imports)
ex coll. Victor Failmezger
ex Numismatic Fine Arts Auction 3/93, Lot 2150
ex old Bavarian coll. #4159
ex A. Riechmann/Halle #1623 (AD 1919?)

This collection is important less numismatically in narrower sense - even though Failmezger mentioned that he instantly has found 31 coins to fill his gaps - but much more as a historical document. The most important fact is that all the tickets with the records of the unknown collector have been preserved. Hence we know that he has collected the coins according to officinas and has paid attention as much as possible to completeness. In doing so he has purchased the best saved specimens of each variety he could find or afford. But he has bought even less perfect coins to avoid gaps in his collection. He was a very pedantic or dainty collector as we can see from his labels on the tickets.

Sadly his identy is unknown until today. Failmezger has put together the tickets and found that they are cut out from old business cards with the following text:
Telefon 7071 MÜNCHEN Telefon 7071
Mailingerstrasse 1a.
Hoflieferant Sr. Kgl. Hoheit Prinz Alfons von Bayern
Militäreffecten
Michael Kastl
On my tickets I have a single Michae und on the other CHEN with 'strasse 1a.' beneath. This street is located in the city centre of Munich. Wether the collector actually was the named Michael Kastl is unknown. Possibly the collector has used old business cards to cut out his tickets. I think he was one of the wealthier members of the middle-class; because he has bought coins even in the awkward years after the WWI. Or he has chosen to spend his limited funds on coins rather than supplies (Dough Smith). And at the end of his article Dough Smith writes: " I think I would have enjoyed meeting the 'Bavarian' collector."

One of his resources of which we know was the coin shop Albert Riechmann in Halle/Saxonia. This coin shop was founded in AD 1910 and iafter the entry of Richard Gaettens AD 1912 formed to an important auction house and publishing company with several library rooms for 10000 volumes, a big auction hall and a tresor for 40000 coins. Here several numismatic books and catalogs were published, several of them important until today. The global economical crisis forced the company to emergency sales in 1932 and 1941 the office in Halle was finally abandoned.

Victor Failmezger has taken the mission of editing this collection. He has called all collectors who has coins of this collection - especially the NFA lot numbers 1054-1405 - to contact him via The Celator or direct Victor Failmezger, 1203 Quaker Hill Drive, Alexandria, VA 22314; telephone (703) 823-2634.

I have added picks of the related tickets and envelopes. Some notes are still unclear. Bahrf. seems to be  the abbreviation of coll.  Bahrfeldt. But who or what is Well? And what is the meaning of MC 1719. Any opinion highly appreciated!

Sources:
- Numismatic Fine Arts Auction XXXI, A Mail Bid, 18.3.1993
- Dough Smith, A Coin from the 'Bavarian Collection',
  online under //doughsmith.ancients.info
- Victor Failmezger, Readers asked to help reconstruct the Bavarian Collection,
  The Celator, Januar 1994
- Riechmann gründete erste Münzhandlung,
  aus Sonntags Nachrichten, Halle, 13.9.2009 (online)

Best regards

[curtislclay]

As I suggested in the German Forum: Bahrf. is presumably Max von Bahrfeldt, Münzen Constantins d. Gr. und seiner Zeit aus dem Münzfunde von Köln a. Rh. 1895, Halle 1923.

[Jochen]

Thanks! Any opinions to Well?

[curtislclay]

Maybe the Wellenheim sale catalogue of c. 1845, which Cohen sometimes cites.

I can check tonight at home, if I can find my copy of the catalogue.

I don't possess Bahrfeldt's work on the Cologne Hoard.

[Jochen]

Thank you very much.

Jochen

[curtislclay]

J. Bermann et Sohn, Verzeichniss der Münz- und Medaillen-Sammlung des...Herrn Leopold Welzl von Wellenheim, Wien 1844, Nr. 15072:

Constantinus II., VOT X. dans une couronne; par dehors, CAESARVM NOSTRORVM., a l'exergue, AQT.

[cliff_marsland]

What did the Germans have against patina?  Older German stuff (at least the few that I see identified as such) kind of have the stripped look.  These are better-looking, but they all seem to have porosity.

[Jochen]

Thank, Curtis, for checking the abbreviation. I think this too is evidence for the accurateness of the unknown collector.

Hi Cliff!
I think your impression doesn't reflect the entire truth. Germans too love a nice patina if it is affordable. 

Best regards

[dougsmit]

I still value the 12 coins I have from the Bavarian Collection which I bought from Victor Failmezger from lots he bought at the sale.  I have retained the envelopes and tags and consider the highlight to be the one pictured on my page on the subject which has half a German postage stamp illustrating the use of an old letter as scrap paper. 

I believe it was Victor who suggested the possibility that the collection was the work of a WWI veteran, perhaps disabled, who may even have received the coins from charity as part of his rehabilitation in a hospital.  Perhaps this is a dream scenario but the grade of the coin and the recycled paper remind me more of things we, today, might donate to Ancient Coins for Education (BTW: feel free to send ACE a few thousand such coins or modern cash to support their programs).  The question I can not let go is how many other similar collections are still out there not yet pulled out of Great Grandpa's trunk.  I don't care if the coins are sub-standard; the history is priceless. 

[larsporsenna]

please  keep it up,  and active.. i wish i had one of this collection.
another reason to keep detailed records of your  collection.
cinecias

[Jochen]

Hi cinecias!

I've sent you a PM.

Best regards
Jochen