Auction-Catalog der Sammlung des Herrn Franz Trau in Wien + Max Ritter von Wilmersdörffer'sche Münzen- und Medaillen-Sammlung

Brüder Egger, Auction-Catalog der Sammlung des Herrn Franz Trau in Wien. Münzen und Medaillen fast aller Länder, vorzüglich von Oesterreich, der geistlichen und weltlichen Herren, griechische und römische Münzen. Medaillen der Stadt Wien. Italian u. deutsche Kunstmedaillen. Platten. Numismatische bücher, 11 Jänner 1904, Verlag von Brüder Egger, Wien 1904, pp. VIII, 132 with headers and finials, 18 plates, 27 cm, coeval full cloth binding, silk page marker, gold titles and fillets on a red leather gusset on the spine. The catalog presents 2357 lots of coins and medals, including: 522 lots of Greek, Roman and Byzantine coins; 703 of medals of German kings, emperors and personalities; 137 of Italian medals from the 15th and 16th centuries; 46 of Italian gold and silver coins; 80 of numismatic books.

Franz Trau senior (1843-1905) inherited the oldest tea shop in Vienna, founded by his father Carl in 1850, which remained in business until 1971. Based on a collection already started by his parent, Franz collected not only important coins, but also many works of art. At this 1904 auction he put his own coins and numismatic books up for sale. However, his collection also included manuscripts and miniatures from the 12th to 16th centuries, prints and publications from the 16th to 18th centuries. Part of this sumptuous collection was sold at auction by the firm Gilhofer & Ranschburg, in Vienna on 27 and 28 October 1905. The remaining objects were inherited by his son of the same name (1881-1931) and then sold.

Related to: Max Ritter von Wilmersdörffer'sche Münzen- und Medaillen-Sammlung. First Series. Kunstmedaillen der Renaissance, Münzen und Medaillen von Schweiz, Frankreich, Elsass und Lothringen, Baden, Württemberg, Hohenzollern, 16 Oktober 1905, J. Hamburger, Frankfurt am Main 1905, pp. VIII, 200 with small heads, 18 plates. The catalog presents 3778 lots of medals and coins, among which we highlight: 248 lots of Italian, French, German Renaissance medals, etc.; 800 Swiss coins and medals; 2084 of French coins and medals; 631 of German coins and medals. The text has a stamp on the title page with the words Dedicationsexemplar and is printed on heavier paper than the other copies of the same edition.

The Jewish banker Max von Wilmersdörffer (1824-1903) began his career in 1841 as an apprentice at the private Munich Oberndörffer bank, founded by his uncle Joseph Nathan Oberndörffer. After his uncle's death in 1867, Max took over the management of the bank. In addition to his banking business, Max von Wilmersdörffer was appointed consul general of the Kingdom of Saxony in Munich and, in 1888, was awarded a knighthood in the Order of Merit of the Bavarian Crown, a recognition that subsequently elevated him to the nobility. Since his youth, Max cultivated a profound interest in numismatics, managing, thanks to his considerable wealth, to create a vast and valuable collection. He was also among the founders and president of the Bavarian Numismatic Society, established in 1881.

Minimal traces of use and signs of aging on the plates, small lack on the leather gusset, trimming of a few millimeters on the boards which does not compromise their usability, otherwise volume in more than good condition.

Very rare set.