‘Tis the Season: Scandinavian Medals from the Bruun Collection Celebrating Peace

Numismatic Guaranty Company® (NGC®) recently authenticated and graded the collection of Lars Emil Bruun, the most impressive group of Scandinavian coins, tokens and medals ever assembled. A Danish entrepreneur who made his fortune in butter and real estate, Bruun amassed a collection of 20,000 pieces from Denmark and other Scandinavian countries, including many stunning medals rich in history.

Stack's Bowers Galleries is offering the collection in a series of auctions that began on September 14, 2024. In the first auction, more than 30 of the coins each realized prices of more than $100,000, including a Denmark 1496 Nobel graded NGC AU 55 that realized $1.33 million.

Bruun's collection had not been offered until now because he had ordered it set aside for 100 years to serve as a replacement in case the one owned by the Danish government was ever lost or destroyed. Bruun was aware that the Danish capital of Copenhagen had been subjected to devasting attacks in the past and he wanted to ensure that the country did not lose its rich numismatic heritage.

In this article, we'll explore some of the beautiful medals in the Bruun Collection that tell the story of the peace treaties in the 17th and 18th centuries.

Denmark 1801-dated Battle of Copenhagen Silver Medal

Grade: NGC MS 62
Diameter: 37 mm
Background: The Battle of Copenhagen in 1801 was a pre-emptive military naval strike by Great Britain against the Danish fleet in Copenhagen that was meant to sideline Denmark, a possible ally with France in the French Revolutionary Wars. The Second Battle of Copenhagen was fought in 1807, again a pre-emptive strike by the British to keep the Danish fleet from helping France. About 1,000 structures in Copenhagen were destroyed in the event that was key to motivating Bruun to set aside his collection for a century after his death in 1923.

Denmark 1645-dated Peace in Bromsebro Silver Medal

Grade: NGC AU 58
Diameter: 52 mm
Background: Denmark's main rival in the region in the 17th and 18th centuries was Sweden, which lies just a few miles across the Oresund strait from Copenhagen. The Second Treaty of Bromsebro ended the Torstenson War, which the Swedes had won. Denmark was forced to cede territory that remains part of modern-day Sweden.

Sweden 1648-dated Peace of Westphalia Silver Medal

Grade: NGC MS 64
Diameter: 55 mm
Background: The Peace of Westphalia in 1648 ended the Thirty Years War, which embroiled much of Europe in a conflict that left 8 million people dead. This medal shows Christina, who ruled as Queen of Sweden from 1632 until her abdication in 1654. The reverse shows Minerva with an olive branch, a symbol of peace, while holding the tree of knowledge. Sweden gained additional territory as part of the Peace of Westphalia.

Sweden 1660-dated Peace in Oliva Silver Medal

Grade: NGC AU Details
Diameter: 75 mm
Background: The Treaty of Oliva (named after the Polish city where it was negotiated) helped end the Northern War of 1655-60 and brought Sweden to the height of its power. Sweden picked up additional territory, including Scania, the part of Sweden closest to Copenhagen. Sweden's sovereignty over parts of modern-day Latvia and Estonia was also recognized.

Sweden Peace in Breda Silver Medal

Grade: NGC XF 45
Diameter: 51 mm
Background: The Treaty of Breda in 1667 (named after a Dutch city) ended the Second Anglo-Dutch War. It set the stage for the Triple Alliance of 1668, in which England, Sweden and the Dutch Republic sought to counter French and Spanish power.

Denmark (1675-dated) Rendsborg Treaty Silver Medal

Grade: NGC UNC Details
Diameter: 41 mm
Background: Denmark used this treaty to force Duke Christian Albrecht of Holstein-Gottorp (located mostly in modern-day northern Germany) to unite his duchy with Denmark. Fourteen years later, Christian Albrecht was restored to his position of power.

Sweden 1679-dated Peace of Nijmegen Silver Medal

Grade: NGC MS 61
Diameter: 74 mm
Background: The Treaties of Nijmegen (reached in 1678 and 1679) ended wars in northern Europe that involved powers that included Sweden, Denmark, France, the Dutch Republic and the Holy Roman Empire.

Sweden 1679-dated Peace of Nijmegen Silver Medal - Dishouke

Grade: NGC AU 58
Diameter: 72 mm
Background: The various agreements reached by France in the Treaties of Nijmegen allowed it to apply diplomatic pressure to help its ally Sweden. This set the stage for the Peace of Lund.

Sweden 1679-dated Peace in Lund Silver Medal

Grade: NGC MS 62
Diameter: 43 mm
Background: The Peace of Lund ended the Scanian War (1675-79), in which Denmark attempted to win back territory in southern Sweden, just to the east of Copenhagen. Charles XI, the 19-year-old king of Sweden shown on this medal, led his troops to counter early Danish gains in the Scanian War.

Denmark 1679-dated Peace in Lund Silver Medal

Grade: MGC MS 67
Diameter: 44 mm
Background: The Treaty of Lund did bring temporary peace between Sweden and King Christian V of Denmark. His sister married the king of Sweden, prompting hope for peace. However, the two countries were at war again by 1700.

Denmark 1685-dated Settlement With Hamburg Silver Medal

Grade: NGC MS 61
Diameter: 31 mm
Background: This medal is related to a failed Danish siege in the mid-1680s of Hamburg, a city in northern Germany.

Sweden 1697-dated Peace of Rijswijk Silver Medal

Grade: NGC UNC Details
Diameter: 50 mm
Background: Named after the Dutch city where they were signed, the treaties of the Peace of Ryswick ended the Nine Years' War, which was fought between France and a Grand Alliance that included the Holy Roman Empire, Spain, the Dutch Republic and England.

Denmark 1700-dated Peace in Travendal Silver Medal

Grade: NGC MS 61
Diameter: 37 mm
Background: The Great Northern War began in 1700, with Sweden facing a triple threat from Russia, Saxony-Poland-Lithuania and Denmark. Sweden focused its attention first on Denmark, putting an army just outside Copenhagen and forcing the Danes to sue for peace. The result was the Peace of Travendal.

Sweden 1700-dated Peace in Travendal Silver Medal

Grade: NGC MS 63
Diameter: 52 mm
Background: Under the Peace of Travendal, Denmark left the Great Northern War and restored the sovereignty of the Duke of Holstein-Gottorp, a Swedish ally, and ordered reparations to be paid to him.

Sweden 1706-dated Peace in Altranstadt Silver Medal

Grade: NGC UNC Details
Diameter: 38 mm
Background: The Peace in Altranstadt forced Poland out of the Great Northern War, leaving Sweden and Russia to battle it out. However, the decisive Russian victory in 1709 at the Battle of Poltava (in modern-day Ukraine) brought both Denmark and Poland back into the war, turning the tide against the Swedes.

Sweden 1717-dated Peace Wish Silver Medal

Grade: NGC XF 45
Diameter: 21 mm
Background: As the Great Northern War dragged on, Sweden issued this medal expressing hope for peace (in German text) at a time when it was fighting much of northern Europe. Swedish King Charles XI died in 1718, shortly after it was issued, and the war itself marked the decline of Sweden as a regional superpower, with Russia rising in its place.

Denmark 1720-dated Peace in Frederiksborg Silver Medal

Grade: NGC MS 62
Diameter: 61 mm
Background: The Treaty of Frederiksborg ended the hostilities between Denmark and Sweden in the Great Northern War. The treaty's terms included giving Denmark control over the Duchy of Schleswig, which straddles the modern border between Denmark and Germany.

1721-dated Peace in Nystad Gilt Bronze Medal

Grade: NGC MS 60
Diameter: 50 mm
Background: The Treaty of Nystad in 1721 brought the Great Northern War to an end. Sweden was forced to transfer Estonia and nearby areas to Russia while Russia returned much of Finland to Sweden. Shortly afterward, Russia declared itself an empire.

Russia 1743-dated Peace With Sweden Medal

Grade: NGC MS 62
Diameter: 61 mm
Background: The Treaty of Abo, also called the Treaty of Turku, ended renewed warfare between Sweden and Russian in 1743. Russia gained additional territory in Finland as it sought to make St. Petersburg less prone to a potential Swedish attack.

Sweden 1790-dated Peace in Verela Bronze Medal

Grade: NGC MS 64 BN
Diameter: 57 mm
Background: The Russo-Swedish War of 1788-1790 ended with a treaty that returned to the status quo before the war. While the Swedish king had initiated the hostilities to gain support at home, the conflict was essentially a stalemate as neither side had the heart for a sustained war.

Related Links:

• NGC Grades World-renowned L.E. Bruun Collection
• Denmark Gold Coin Sells for Record $1.33 Million as Stack's Bowers Galleries Begins Offering NGC-certified Bruun Collection