A mentor and friend 2014 LEO MILDENBERG OF BANK LEU ZURICH Leo Mildenberg, founded the numismatic auction arm of Switzerland's Bank Leu. The late Leo Mildenberg was a world-renowned numismatist, my mentor died in 2001 Dr Mildenberg was born in Kassel in Germany in 1913. He studied ancient history and Semitic languages at the University of Frankfurt, until being forced out by the Nazis in 1933. His first stop was Leipzig, and from there he went to Estonia, where he received his doctorate. In the winter of 1941, he was sent with many others to a Russian prison camp in Kazakhstan, although he had done nothing wrong. It was there that he met his future wife, Elsie Brunner, from Zurich, in Switzerland. In 1947, the couple, with the help of the Red Cross, fled the camp for Switzerland. The venerable Bank Leu, in Zurich. He was a great numismatist as he was a collector, he had, within a few years, set up a specialist numismatic department within the bank, which later became the world's leading auction house for ancient coins. Geoffrey
Dear Geoffrey, interesting, I did not know that. Maybe, one should add that the Bank Leu numismatic department's successor are Nomos and NAC, which are the most world's most leading auction houses for ancient coins. Greetings, Matthias
A man that was respected in the banking fraternity not only in Numismatics. Leu was one of the finest and oldest banking names in Switzerland. We have our collection today, thanks to the assistance and guidance of Leo Mildenberg. A short story, I bid in the Auction as Mildenberg requested, after bidding was leaving the Auction and he beckoned me to him. 'Geoffrey where are you going? Leaving Sir, what about your coins?" I replied I cannot pay you now. "He took my hand and placed the coins in my hand closed it, Geoffrey you will pay me when you can" This is only one small story of a remarkable man
A man that was respected in the banking fraternity not only in Numismatics. Leu was one of the finest and oldest banking names in Switzerland. We have our collection today, thanks to the assistance and guidance of Leo Mildenberg. A short story, I bid in the Auction as Mildenberg requested, after bidding was leaving the Auction and he beckoned me to him. 'Geoffrey where are you going? Leaving Sir, what about your coins?" I replied I cannot pay you now. "He took my hand and placed the coins in my hand closed it, Geoffrey you will pay me when you can" This is only one small story of a remarkable man
He knew very well the caliber of collector/person you were and hence the trust. This still exists in the hobby today within a select circle of trust.
Dr. Mildenberg was one of the leaders of our hobby post WW2. Shaking his hand had a special warmth, quite spoken, his directions and guidance in Numismatics are still followed nearly 15 years after his passing and I hope his eloquence and teachings through his books and those that followed him continue on for generations. Today we have the guidance of Dr.Alan Walker who followed Dr.Leo Mildenberg and today is NOMOS in ZURICH and another generation following Yves Gunzenreiner. This incredible knowledge continues. From my perspective it is the knowledge and wisdom that we get from the continuation of the line of individuals which will guide numismatics in the future.
