Hola moderncoins...! el Heron checked with A.I.Googly regarding the big collection once owned by King Fahrook of Egypt. The A.I. tells us that the King owned over 8,500 Gold coins. No mention of how many made of minor metals. The King's coin collection was auctioned in 1954. And no, Heron did not buy any of that collection. Heron did buy a Zanzibar Copper coin that year. Back in the days when the U.S. Postal Service was the best way to buy coins. Heron still has his Zanzibar coin.
Farouk owned the only legal 1933 gold double eagle. It was pulled from the 1954 auction before the sale, at the request of the US Treasury, but never returned. Later an English coin dealer acquired it, and dug up the paperwork proving that it had been legally gifted to the king by the US government They conceded it was legal to own, but specified it would be the only one they would certify as such. A few years later when the family of a Philadelphia jeweler pulled ten of them from a safety deposit box they were forced to surrender them.
Hola moderncoins...! If we are talking collections held by museums, the Smithsonian has 1.6 million items. This includes tokens and other types of money.
The British Museum has almost 1 million items in their collection. (Heron has seen portions of the Smithsonian collection many times. Heron lived about 20 miles from the Smithsonian. And Heron has seen a portion of the British Museum collection (one time). Info source A.I. Googly
Oh, well, if you are going to talk about national collections you are taking things to a whole new level. Bibliotheque Nationale in Paris holds the collections of the Kings of France. No one knows what the Vatican Museum collection comprises, because no outsider has ever been allowed to view it. And some of the source countries for ancient coins, like Egypt and China, possess coin hoards that are measured in tons.
I'm sure there are people out there who have millions of Lincoln cents in their "collection".
If you're talking value-wise there are several contenders. Louis Eliasberg assembled the only complete collection of US coins, all types and dates. Complete up to his death in the 70's; a few types have been discovered since. I don't think that would be possible to do again. Ely K. Lilly, of Lilly drug company, probably had the largest private collection of gold coins of the world. It was seized by the US government for alleged unpaid taxes.
There are several royals who had massive collections, but details are sparse.
elheron-grande
·6 months agoHola moderncoins...! el Heron checked with A.I.Googly regarding the big collection once owned by King Fahrook of Egypt. The A.I. tells us that the King owned over 8,500 Gold coins. No mention of how many made of minor metals. The King's coin collection was auctioned in 1954. And no, Heron did not buy any of that collection. Heron did buy a Zanzibar Copper coin that year. Back in the days when the U.S. Postal Service was the best way to buy coins. Heron still has his Zanzibar coin.
agathetyche
·6 months agoFarouk owned the only legal 1933 gold double eagle. It was pulled from the 1954 auction before the sale, at the request of the US Treasury, but never returned. Later an English coin dealer acquired it, and dug up the paperwork proving that it had been legally gifted to the king by the US government They conceded it was legal to own, but specified it would be the only one they would certify as such. A few years later when the family of a Philadelphia jeweler pulled ten of them from a safety deposit box they were forced to surrender them.
elheron-grande
·6 months agoHola aga...! Thanks for the reminder re Gold 1933 coin. Heron now remembers the situation. Lots of fun reading about the kerfluffel.
*smedley*
·6 months agowhat a wonderful word...
elheron-grande
·6 months agoHola Mr. Smedley...! el Heron's Mom taught him that word. Mucho fun.
elheron-grande
·6 months agoHola moderncoins...! If we are talking collections held by museums, the Smithsonian has 1.6 million items. This includes tokens and other types of money.
The British Museum has almost 1 million items in their collection. (Heron has seen portions of the Smithsonian collection many times. Heron lived about 20 miles from the Smithsonian. And Heron has seen a portion of the British Museum collection (one time). Info source A.I. Googly
agathetyche
·6 months agoOh, well, if you are going to talk about national collections you are taking things to a whole new level. Bibliotheque Nationale in Paris holds the collections of the Kings of France. No one knows what the Vatican Museum collection comprises, because no outsider has ever been allowed to view it. And some of the source countries for ancient coins, like Egypt and China, possess coin hoards that are measured in tons.
wri-8727
·6 months agoWARE are the most coin collectors located
A stab in the dark, where the Rhine empties into the North Sea
There are 144 Coin dealers in Netherlands
agathetyche
·6 months agoI'm sure there are people out there who have millions of Lincoln cents in their "collection".
If you're talking value-wise there are several contenders. Louis Eliasberg assembled the only complete collection of US coins, all types and dates. Complete up to his death in the 70's; a few types have been discovered since. I don't think that would be possible to do again. Ely K. Lilly, of Lilly drug company, probably had the largest private collection of gold coins of the world. It was seized by the US government for alleged unpaid taxes.
There are several royals who had massive collections, but details are sparse.