The Kagan-Maremba Israel Coins and Medal Collection

Sylvia Haffner Magnus, Israel’s Money and Medals (4th ed.). Boca Raton: A.H. Kagan, 1988

Internationally renowned as the most important collection of the numismatic history of modern Israel ever assembled, the Kagan-Maremba collection was formed by businessman, collector, publisher, and philanthropist Arnold H. Kagan.

Such is the collection’s distinction that it is the basis of the standard reference in the field: Israel’s Money and Medals.  The collection’s world-wide eminence can be gauged by its inclusion in The Coin World Almanac (6^th Edition) as one of the most famous collections ever formed by an American, alongside those extraordinary collections assembled by Brand, Garrett, Eliasberg, Norweb, and Hunt.

The collection is exceptional not only by virtue of its completeness (it contains virtually every issue of the modern state of Israel up to 1996), but by the variety and richness of the rarities contained within.

A few of the great rarities are: the only known Palestine Currency Board, 1947 1 Mil in Proof (fewer than ten examples are known in any grade); a 1927 Double Proof Set in the original case of issue (one of only about fifteen extant sets); a complete set of six denominations of the Palestine Currency Board banknotes, includes the exceptionally rare 100 Pound note, of which less than a half dozen survive. Within the section of modern coins and medals, not only are the series of regular issue and commemorative coins complete, but included are pattern and specimen issues some of which are unique, or nearly so.

While many collections focus on one period, or a single specialized area, such as banknotes, regular issue coins, or medals, the Kagan-Maremba collection is one which encompasses the gamut, and provides a unique numismatic and historic panorama of a modern nation which is the center of so much of the world’s attention.  It is, quite simply, a collection which specialists in the field regard with awe, and one which they freely admit could not be assembled again.

SELECTED HIGHLIGHTS:

Palestinian Mandate:
1 Mil, 1947, Proof, unique
Double Proof Set, 1927, in original case of issue, 34 struck, fewer than half survive
100 Pound Banknote, 1927, five known (part of a complete type 6 piece set of all denominations.

State of Israel, Trade Coins:
25 Pruta, Specimen issues, 8 examples
250 Pruta, Specimen issue, 2 examples
1 Pruta, Specimen issue, 2 examples
10 Pruta, Specimen issue, uniface
25 Mil, off-metal trial in brass, unique
25 Mil, trials, thick flan and rimless varieties, believed unique
1 Agora, 1960, patterns, five examples, different varieties.

State of Israel, Commemorative Coins:
Complete to 1996, including:
1962, Weizmann set in gold, “Mem-less”, ten known
1971, Let My People Go: silver uniface trial; lead trial, all believed unique

State of Israel, Banknotes:
Complete to 1996, including:
1948, Anglo-Palestinian Provisional Set
1948, Anglo-Palestinian Specimen Sets, one in album
1948-1953, Fractional notes, includes 100 Pruta invert

Israel, Medals:
State, Commissioned, and Presentation. Largely complete to 1996, including:
Approximately 75 trials, test strikes, and patterns, generally fewer than 6 known of each

Approximately 2,000 pieces. The overall quality of the collection is high; the vast majority of the coins, medals and banknotes are essentially as issued, the Palestinian Mandate 100 Pounds is Very Fine. A substantial portion of the collection is contained in 133 specially designed panels for display purposes.  Each panel measures approximately 23 by 19 images; the panels are stored in 34 custom designed cases for storage or shipment. While the collection is essentially complete up to 1996, it should be noted that there are a few commissioned medals missing from the collection.  There are, as well, duplicate pieces, many of which were purchased to be able to display both the obverse and reverse designs.

Sold as a collection, not subject to return
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