Two More NGC-certified L. E. Bruun Collection Rarities Realize Over Half a Million Each

Three rarities bearing the image of Frederik III led the way by realizing prices in the mid-six figures as hundreds more coins certified by NGC® from the L. E. Bruun Collection were offered at auction. Stack's Bowers Galleries presented the March 2026 L. E. Bruun Collection - A Corpus of Scandinavian Numismatics - Part IV auction, including Session 1 and Session 2, on March 24-25, 2026.

The top price realized from both sessions was €552,000 (about $639,000) for a Norway (1661) 10 Ducat - Fort Aggershus graded NGC AU Details (Session 2, lot 18103). The coin is believed to be unique in private hands, with the only other two known examples held by the Danish government and a Norwegian university. The reverse of this coin depicts Akershus, a fortress in Oslo that hosted a ceremony in 1661 to honor Frederik.

Another top lot was a Denmark 1664 10 Ducat graded NGC AU Details (Session 1, lot 17074), which realized €480,000 (about $555,000). Weighing more than an ounce and representing an enormous amount of wealth for its day, this coin is thought to have been struck for the king's personal use.

Another impressive result was recorded by a Denmark 1653 5 Ducat graded NGC MS 62 (Session 1, lot 17066), which realized €408,000 (about $472,000). Like the other two coins above, its obverse depicts Frederik III, who was King of Denmark and Norway from 1648 to 1670. He achieved so much popularity in successfully defending Copenhagen from a Swedish army in 1659 that he was able to transform the elective monarchy into an absolute one.

This astonishing Scandinavian numismatic collection was assembled by Lars Emil Bruun, a Danish entrepreneur who made his fortune in butter and real estate. NGC was selected to certify the collection, encapsulating the coins with a special certification label that highlights their distinguished pedigree.

In September 2024, the first in a series of auctions of the collection was held, led by a Denmark 1496 Noble graded NGC AU 55 that realized €1.2 million (about $1.33 million), a record for any Scandinavian coin. More than 6,300 coins, medals and tokens have been offered from the collection so far, and high-resolutions images of them can be viewed in a searchable gallery at NGCcoin.com/gallery/bruun.

Other top NGC-certified highlights from the latest auction included:

• a Danish West Indies 25 Cents Countermarked on a US 1849 Quarter graded NGC MS 63 (Session 2, lot 18034), which realized €180,000 (about $208,000)
• an undated 2 Ducat graded NGC MS 66★ (Session 1, lot 17085), which realized €168,000 (about $194,000)
• a Denmark 1870 NC//CS 2 Christian d'Or graded NGC MS 69 (Session 1, lot 17227), which realized €168,000 (about $194,000)
• a Danish Asiatic Company 1771 Piaster graded NGC MS 62 (Session 1, lot 17140), which realized €156,000 (about $180,000)
• a Denmark 1592 5 Ducat graded NGC AU Details (Session 1, lot 17041), which realized €144,000 (about $167,000)
• a Norway 1678 PG 4 Speciedaler graded NGC XF Details (Session 2, lot 18111), which realized €144,000 (about $167,000)
• a Danish West Indies 1904 10 Daler graded NGC MS 68 (Session 2, lot 18044), which realized €132,000 (about $153,000)
• a Norway 1680 PG 3 Speciedaler graded NGC AU Details (Session 2, lot 18113), which realized €132,000 (about $153,000)
• a Denmark 1611 Rose Noble graded NGC AU 55 (Session 1, lot 17049), which realized €120,000 (about $139,000)
• a Norway 1678 PG 3 Speciedaler graded NGC AU Details (Session 2, lot 18112), which realized €120,000 (about $139,000)
• a Denmark 1663 10 Ducat graded NGC AU Details (Session 1, lot 17072), which realized €102,000 (about $118,000)
• a Denmark 1659 5 Ducat graded NGC AU 55 (Session 1, lot 17069), which realized €90,000 (about $104,000)
• a Norway 1670 FG Speciedaler graded NGC MS 63 (Session 2, lot 18105), which realized €90,000 (about $104,000)

Prices realized include buyer's premium. The $ symbol represents US Dollars.