Found near Bordeaux, the incredible numismatic treasure of a Portuguese diplomat sold at auction

This story begins in 2022, with a small ad published in our columns. “ One of Ambassador Affra’s daughters, a reader of Le Figaro , saw this advertisement in which we invited people from Bordeaux to bring their Asian art objects to our office for appraisal ,” recalls Fabien Ronaldo. That day, the octogenarian arrived, arms laden with mosaics. Talking with her to find out their provenance, the expert learned that his future client’s father was a Portuguese diplomat. Ambassador João Rodrigues Simões Affra had made a habit of collecting pieces in his mission countries.

His heirs discovered this currency scattered throughout their family home north of Bordeaux, where nothing had moved for four decades. The coins were scattered among wardrobes and cupboards, on coffee tables and fireplace ledges. Collected together, they constitute a veritable treasure. While stationed in Shanghai (China) between 1945 and 1950, Ambassador Affra acquired very rare Chinese coins, including one that sold for 155,000 euros. "The family arrived in my office with this collection without knowing its value," says Fabien Robaldo . "Yet these are high-quality coins, in very good condition, clearly purchased for collecting."

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Particularly rare, these silver or gold coins were mostly "melted, seized, or destroyed during the cultural revolutions in China, according to the expert—who had never seen one before receiving the Affra collection. The ambassador was a scholar, who had an incredible culture. Of the coin collections he made in the countries he visited, the Chinese one is the most elaborate. Thanks to his profession, he must have had interesting connections. I doubt he acquired these coins at the bottom of a market."

Authenticated and graded by the independent laboratory PCGS (Professional Coin Grading Service), a world leader in numismatic expertise, the first coins found were auctioned in September 2022 and June 2023. 120 coins were sold for €600,000. But after searching the attic once again, the ambassador's children discovered new coins belonging to his Chinese collection. Among them: an 1897 silver dollar from Kiangnan province. Estimated at between €40,000 and €60,000, the coin could set the auction house ablaze. To find out, visit the auction room at the Hôtel Drouot on September 19th.