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Danish Butter King’s Coin Collection for Sale 100 Years After His Death 

Helle Horsnes, senior researcher at the National Museum of Denmark, looks at seven rare coins that the museum bought earlier this year from the collection of butter magnate Lars Emil Bruun, in Copenhagen, Denmark, September 11, 2024. (Reuters)
Helle Horsnes, senior researcher at the National Museum of Denmark, looks at seven rare coins that the museum bought earlier this year from the collection of butter magnate Lars Emil Bruun, in Copenhagen, Denmark, September 11, 2024. (Reuters)
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Danish Butter King’s Coin Collection for Sale 100 Years After His Death 

Helle Horsnes, senior researcher at the National Museum of Denmark, looks at seven rare coins that the museum bought earlier this year from the collection of butter magnate Lars Emil Bruun, in Copenhagen, Denmark, September 11, 2024. (Reuters)
Helle Horsnes, senior researcher at the National Museum of Denmark, looks at seven rare coins that the museum bought earlier this year from the collection of butter magnate Lars Emil Bruun, in Copenhagen, Denmark, September 11, 2024. (Reuters)

The 20,000-piece coin collection of Danish butter magnate Lars Emil Bruun, worth an estimated $74 million, is set to go under the hammer on Saturday in Copenhagen, a century after his passing.

The collection, kept by Bruun's relatives in line with his will, includes rare coins and medals from Denmark, Norway, Sweden and England dating back to the Viking age. It is expected to attract bids from some of the world's wealthiest people.

Bruun, born into poverty in 1852, amassed a fortune through his butter export business. He developed a passion for coin collecting in his childhood, resulting in what is expected to be the most valuable non-US coin collection ever sold.

"The collection is unique in many ways, partly because it's so valuable, but also because it's been kept safe as a sleeping beauty for 100 years without nobody having access to the coins," said Michael Fornitz, a professional numismatic appointed by auction house Stack's Bowers to oversee the sale.

After World War One, Bruun, fearing another war or bombing of Copenhagen, decided his historic collection should be kept in reserve for the Royal Coin and Medal Collection in Copenhagen for a century.

The auction will commence on Saturday with the sale of the first 286 coins, starting with a coin minted in 1496 for Denmark's King Hans. The coin has an estimated price of up to 600,000 euros ($663,900).

"It has probably been struck for King Hans' personal use when he traveled through Europe and he needed to show that Denmark was not just an insignificant province in the North of Europe but actually a power to be reckoned with," said Fornitz, holding the coin in his hand.

The collection has been showcased to potential buyers in Hong Kong, Europe, and the United States. According to Brian Kendrella, Stack's Bowers president, the coins are expected to sell for amounts ranging from less than $100 to more than $1 million each.

"Buyers might be some of the wealthiest people who are making Forbes lists and things like that. But there's also regular people that have deep interest in history and interest in coin collecting," he said.

Proceeds from the auctions, expected to continue for several years, will go to Bruun's direct relatives, as stipulated in his will. A representative for his relatives did not reply to a request for comment.

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Culture

Culture Being Strangled by Kosovo's Political Crisis

The cinema has been waiting for much-needed repairs for years. Armend NIMANI / AFP
The cinema has been waiting for much-needed repairs for years. Armend NIMANI / AFP
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Culture Being Strangled by Kosovo's Political Crisis

The cinema has been waiting for much-needed repairs for years. Armend NIMANI / AFP
The cinema has been waiting for much-needed repairs for years. Armend NIMANI / AFP

Kosovo's oldest cinema has been dark and silent for years as the famous theater slowly disintegrates under a leaky roof.

Signs warn passers-by in the historic city of Prizren that parts of the Lumbardhi's crumbling facade could fall while it waits for its long-promised refurbishment.

"The city deserves to have the cinema renovated and preserved. Only junkies gathering there benefit from it now," nextdoor neighbor butcher Arsim Futko, 62, told AFP.

For seven years, it waited for a European Union-funded revamp, only for the money to be suddenly withdrawn with little explanation.

Now it awaits similar repairs promised by the national government that has since been paralyzed by inconclusive elections in February.

And it is anyone's guess whether the new government that will come out of Sunday's snap election will keep the promise.

'Collateral damage'

Cinema director Ares Shporta said the cinema has become "collateral damage" in a broader geopolitical game after the EU hit his country with sanctions in 2023.

The delayed repairs "affected our morale, it affected our lives, it affected the trust of the community in us," Shporta said.

Brussels slapped Kosovo with sanctions over heightened tensions between the government and the ethnic Serb minority that live in parts of the country as Pristina pushed to exert more control over areas still tightly linked to Belgrade.

Cultural institutions have been among the hardest-hit sectors, as international funding dried up and local decisions were stalled by the parliamentary crisis.

According to an analysis by the Kosovo think tank, the GAP Institute for Advanced Studies, sanctions have resulted in around 613 million euros ($719 million) being suspended or paused, with the cultural sector taking a hit of 15-million-euro hit.

'Ground zero'

With political stalemate threatening to drag on into another year, there are warnings that further funding from abroad could also be in jeopardy.

Since February's election when outgoing premier Albin Kurti topped the polls but failed to win a majority, his caretaker government has been deadlocked with opposition lawmakers.

Months of delays, spent mostly without a parliament, meant little legislative work could be done.

Ahead of the snap election on Sunday, the government said that more than 200 million euros ($235 million) will be lost forever due to a failure to ratify international agreements.

Once the top beneficiary of the EU Growth Plan in the Balkans, Europe's youngest country now trails most of its neighburs, the NGO Group for Legal and Political Studies' executive director Njomza Arifi told AFP.

"While some of the countries in the region have already received the second tranches, Kosovo still remains at ground zero."

Although there have been some enthusiastic signs of easing a half of EU sanctions by January, Kurti's continued push against Serbian institutions and influence in the country's north continues to draw criticism from both Washington and Brussels.

'On the edge'

Across the river from the Lumbardhi, the funding cuts have also been felt at Dokufest, a documentary and short film festival that draws people to the region.

"The festival has had to make staff cuts. Unfortunately, there is a risk of further cuts if things don't change," Dokufest artistic director Veton Nurkollari said.

"Fortunately, we don't depend on just one source because we could end up in a situation where, when the tap is turned off, everything is turned off."

He said that many in the cultural sector were desperate for the upcoming government to get the sanctions lifted by ratification of the agreements that would allow EU funds to flow again.

"Kosovo is the only one left on the edge and without these funds."

Culture

Saudi Culture Ministry Concludes Intangible Cultural Heritage Documentation Project in Al-Ahsa

Saudi Culture Ministry Concludes Intangible Cultural Heritage Documentation Project in Al-Ahsa
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Saudi Culture Ministry Concludes Intangible Cultural Heritage Documentation Project in Al-Ahsa

Saudi Culture Ministry Concludes Intangible Cultural Heritage Documentation Project in Al-Ahsa

The Saudi Ministry of Culture concluded the project to survey, document, and archive intangible cultural heritage in Al-Ahsa Governorate by holding a workshop in the governorate, attended by stakeholders and relevant entities, as part of the ministry’s efforts to preserve national cultural heritage and strengthen Saudi cultural identity, reported the Saudi Press Agency on Thursday.

The project included a field survey covering various cities and villages across Al-Ahsa, during which diverse elements of intangible cultural heritage were identified and documented. These included oral traditions, performing arts, skills associated with traditional cultural crafts, social practices, and knowledge related to nature and the local environment.

The work was carried out in cooperation with concerned entities, specialized experts, and local practitioners.

The workshop reviewed the project’s final outcomes and presented reports on documentation and digital archiving activities.

It discussed mechanisms to ensure the sustainability of these efforts and the transmission of this cultural legacy to future generations, contributing to greater community awareness of the value and importance of intangible cultural heritage.

Culture

Hail Region Pavilion Showcases Heritage Artifacts at Camel Festival

The pavilion aims to connect visitors to Hail's history and social legacy - SPA
The pavilion aims to connect visitors to Hail's history and social legacy - SPA
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Hail Region Pavilion Showcases Heritage Artifacts at Camel Festival

The pavilion aims to connect visitors to Hail's history and social legacy - SPA
The pavilion aims to connect visitors to Hail's history and social legacy - SPA

Hail Region pavilion at the Ministry of Interior’s Security Oasis exhibition, part of the 10th King Abdulaziz Camel Festival in Al-Sayahid, features heritage artifacts that reflect the region's renowned hospitality.

The display includes ancient trays and copperware from nearly seventy years ago.

According to SPA, these traditional food preparation and serving vessels have garnered significant interest from visitors. They document daily life in old Hail and its deep-rooted social traditions, particularly in gatherings and special occasions.

The pavilion aims to connect visitors to Hail's history and social legacy, fostering appreciation for national heritage and ensuring cultural preservation for future generations.