Sadly, someone in your family has passed away, and among the belongings that remain there is a collection of coins.
Perhaps you remember the passion with which your father or your grandfather spoke about these coins, and how much they meant to him. There may have been an afternoon when he brought them out to show you. You may also remember the hours he spent with them in his study, the Saturdays dedicated to an auction or a coin fair, or the evenings at his numismatic society. But most probably what stays with you now is less the coins themselves than the pleasure your father or grandfather took in showing them.
On the other hand, the collection may come as a complete surprise. Either way, it usually arrives without a list, without a valuation, and with no one left who can explain why these particular coins or medals were the ones he chose.
However the collection has come to you, you are faced today with a task you were not prepared for, and with questions you may not know whom to put to.
What is this collection? What is it worth? How do I keep it safe in the meantime? And if it is to be sold, how do I make sure that is done fairly, and in a way that my relative would have thought right?
These are the questions heirs put to us, and they are the right ones to ask. You do not have to answer any of these questions by yourself, and you do not have to answer them all at once.
Free assessment within 48 hours, without obligation. Send us a few photographs and we will tell you what has been left to you. If you would rather speak to someone first, just telephone us: +41 (0)32 554 03 30
Via eMail (estate@lugdunum-numismatik.com) or WhatsApp (+41 (0)76 612 24 41).
A picture taken with a mobile phone of an open album, of a tray, or of the coins laid out on a table is enough for us to make a first assessment of what kind of collection this is. If there are boxes, envelopes or papers with the coins, photograph those as well. And if a list exists, do not hesitate to send that too.
We inform you about what the collection appears to contain, roughly what it is worth, and what we would suggest doing with it.
For coins with collectors' value or whose value lies in their metal content, an on-site appraisal of the coins and medals is essential, either in our office in Solothurn or at your home or bank (high value items only).
This is the most important step, the one that turns a preliminary valuation into a precise one. Authenticity, for example, cannot be judged from a photograph.
Based on our assessment and on the type of coins in your collection, we inform you about the best way to sell them. If you prefer to keep the collection, that is of course perfectly fine.
Dr. Jonas Emmanuel Flueck – Founder and Director, numismatist and auctioneer. Holding a PhD in History and Archaeology, he began his career in London and developed it in Zurich before founding Lugdunum, and brings more than fifteen years of experience in the international numismatic market. He is recognized internationally as one of the leading specialists in provenance research for ancient coins. Within the profession he serves as General Secretary of the VSBN, as an Expert at the IBSCC, and formerly as Treasurer of the IAPN.
He is the person who will answer your questions, carry out the assessment, and remain at your side at every step, from the first contact to the final settlement.
Some types of coins are excluded from our assessments:
Where a notary, an authority or the tax administration needs an official figure, we can prepare a written valuation. For this service we charge CHF 200 per hour plus VAT, and we will tell you in advance roughly how long it will take. If the collection is afterwards sold to us in full, or consigned to one of our Lugdunum auctions, we would be very pleased to deduct the fee for this service entirely.