Lars Emil Bruun (29 March 1852 – 21 November 1923) was a Danish merchant and numismatist. He established a company in 1883 that specialized in the packing and wholesaling of butter. His collection of coins and medals, valued at 500 million Danish kroner, or 73 million USD, is kept at the National Museum of Denmark but will be sold in auction 100 years after his death.[1]
Lars Emil Bruun | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | 29 March 1852 |
| Died | 21 November 1923 (aged 71) |
| Nationality | Danish |
| Occupation | Businessman |
| Known for | Coin and medal collection |
Early life and education
editBruun was born in Ulvemose Huse, in the parish of Havdrup, in 1852. He apprenticed as a merchant in Holbæk from 1867 and later studied at Grüner's business academy before working for several large enterprises.[2]
Business career
editIn 1883, Bruun established his own company which was involved in the packing and wholesaling of butter. The company grew fast and completed acquisitions of several competing companies.[2]
Coin and medal collection
editBruun collected coins from an early age, and with his increasing wealth his collection developed into one of the largest private collections of its time of Danish, Norwegian, Swedish and British coins and medals. In 1914 and 1918, he sold the Swedish part of his collection. In 1922, shortly before his death, he acquired an extensive coin collection which had belonged to the counts of Brahesminde. The British part of his collection was sold in auction in London after his death, except for the coins from Northumberland, East Anglia and Ireland, which were donated to the Royal Danish Coin and Medal Collection at the National Museum of Denmark.[2]
According to Bruun's will, his collection of coins, bank notes and medals from Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Schlesvig and Holstein, as well as his numismatic library, was to act as a back-up for the Royal Danish Coin and Medal Collection for a period of one hundred years,[2] before being sold for the benefit of his descendants.[3] It was initially deposited at the Museum of National History at Frederiksborg Castle, but was transferred to Nationalbanken (the central bank of Denmark) in Copenhagen.[4] On 17 September 2024, the first batch of coins, in 286 lots, was sold at auction for 14.82 million euros ($16.5 million).[3]
References
edit- ^ Timsit, Annabelle (13 May 2024). "Rare collection of ancient coins, locked away for 100 years, heads to auction". The Washington Post. Retrieved 13 May 2024.
- ^ a b c d "L.E. Bruun". Dansk Biografisk Leksikon (in Danish). Retrieved 26 March 2016.
- ^ a b "A tycoon collector forbade anyone from selling his coins for 100 years. A century on, the first set just fetched $16.5M". CNN. 18 September 2024. Retrieved 18 September 2024.
- ^ "Lars Emil Bruun (1852-1923)" (in Danish). danskmoent.dk. Retrieved 26 March 2016.