EGGER BROTHERS

Dedicated to the Memory of the Late Harvey Stack

Egger Brothers, Vienna, Austria, were eight Austria-Hungarian Jewish brothers who ran coin and jewelry shops in Budapest and Vienna from 1856-1930. They were sons of Josef Egger and Gittel Katie Egger.

Hadrien Rambach describes the firm's organization :

- "The coin-dealing firm of Dr. Gustav Adolf Egger was run by the brothers Heinrich Egger (d. 1914) and David Egger (1832–1897), the former in Budapest (since 1859), the latter in Vienna (since 1869). The latter was succeeded in 1897 by Adolf Roger, and the former was succeeded in 1899 by Armin L. Egger (1864–1929). The company, which closed in 1930, had taken over the firm S. Egger und Compagnie, also active in Vienna under the direction of Samuel Egger (d. 1881) and Jakob Egger (1829–1919)."

David Egger (1832-1897 and Heinrich Egger (1836-1914), ran the coin shop of Gustav Adolf Egger in Vienna in 1869 and the original office in Budapest also selling jewelry and antiques established a decade earlier run by their eldest brother Samuel (1818-1881), and brother Jakob Egger (1829-1919), as S. Egger und Compagnie. Later run by Armin Leopold Egger (1864-1929).

Besides being a top dealer in Ancient Greek and Roman coins, and dealer of antiques and antiquities, David Egger was one of the most outstanding goldsmiths of the 19th century. David was the director of the Egger Enamel Factory. Adolf Róser, was the successor of the Egger Brothers jewelry business.

David Egger of the Egger Brothers opal jewelry belt part of a parure additionally consisting of a necklace, earrings, ten bodice clasps, five hair pins and two cuff clasps created for Princess Stéphanie of Belgium on the occasion of her marriage to Crown Prince Rudolph on 10 May 1881. Signed KESZITETTEK EGGER TESTVEREK BUDAPESTEN 1881 (Egger Brothers, Budapest, 1881). Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna, Imperial Treasury, Room 7, Inv. Nu. Schatzkammer, WS XIb 41.

They were listed in the American Journal of Numismatics among the coin dealers who received subscriptions printed on the title page bas de page beginning 1892.

Egger Brothers advertisement in the American Journal of Numismatics, Vol. 3, No. 12, April, 1869.

From 1874-1930, the firm held 56 auctions. The firm dissolved in May 1930.

Their first coin auction sale of the Gotthard Minus and Adolf Preiss collections was cataloged by numismatist Franz Josef Wesener (1822-1893), on November 16, 1874.

In 1890 Samuel Chapman produced some coin photography for the firm, possibly of the collection of the late Bishop Johann Stupnicki, or some local items. They are listed in the Chapman Mailing List on page 191.

Egger Brothers to S. H. & H. Chapman, postal card postmarked August 4, 1890, Vienna, Austria, Postal Card. Courtesy Lupia Numismatic and Philatelic Library and Museum Collections, Special Collection : The Chapman Family Correspondence Archive. "Dear Sir, We are very much obliged for the fine photography you had the kindness to send us, which shall be held at our [firm] as a memory of honor. With best regards, we remain, Dear Sir, truly yours, Egger Bros."

Their second auction was held on 8 June, 1896 of the Johann Stupnicki (1816-1890) collection.

In 1904 the Egger Bros. held a coin auction published ancient coins of the Russian numismatist Theodore Prowe in their catalog : Catalog-der Sampling-griechischer, romischer, und byzantinischer Munzen des Herrn Theodore Prowe in Moskau (Vienna, 1904)

In 1911 the Egger Bros. auctioned the Ingacy Terlecki collection of ancient coins.

Egger Bros. advertisement in The Numismatist, Vol. 25, No. 4, April (1912) : 151

In 1915 the Museum of Applied Arts, Budapest inherited Heinrich Eggers art and jewelry collection.

In April 1930 they held their final coin auction sale leaving a legacy of an eighty-seven year business.

The firm dissolved in May 1930.

John N. Lupia, III

Rarities for Museums and Collectors

Bibliography:

American Journal of Numismatics, Vol. 3, No. 12, April, 1869

Leopold Kastner, Addressen-Buch der Handel-und Gewerbetreibenden sowie der Actien-Gesellschaften der österreichisch-ungarischen Monarchie (Wien : Alfred Hölder, 1876) : 65

K. Reitmann, "Der Münzenhandel in Österreich : Eine historische Studie," in: Numismatische Zeitschrift 71 (1946): 92-112. 103f, 106, 109f,

Rotraud Bauer, The Secular and Ecclesiastical Treasuries : Illustrated Guide (Kunsthistorisches Museum, Wien, 1991)

Celator, Vol. 12, N. 3, March (1998)

Hadrien J. Rambach, "Collecting Coins in nineteenth-century Germany," in Stefan Krmnicek & Henner Hardt, eds., TÜBINGER NUMISMATISCHE STUDIEN, Vol. 1 (2017) : 37-62, especially footnote 77 .

Hadrien J. Rambach, "A list of coin dealers in nineteenth-century Germany," in Stefan Krmnicek & Henner Hardt, eds., TÜBINGER NUMISMATISCHE STUDIEN, Vol. 1 (2017) : 63-84, especially 76 and footnote 91.

Künker Auktion 357: Die numismatische Bibliothek Alain Poinsignon, Straßburg, 7-9 December 2021 : 103 preface to lots 3346-3373

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