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| Memories of Leo Mildenberg | |||
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| One day while walking along the Bahnhofstrasse, Leo passed a coin display in the window of Bank Leu, spotted a misattribution on one of the labels, and reported it to the person in charge. He was immediately hired in the gold department, of which coins were a part. In 1949 Leo was placed in charge of a separate numismatic department. Over the next four decades Bank Leu became the world's preeminent dealer in ancient coins, defining the market with its prestigious auctions. Throughout these years Leo also lectured and published, and his retirement allowed him even more time for research. He died in Zurich on 14 January 2001, survived by his second wife, Ilse Seehaussen. | |||
| Leo had a charm and charisma that swept people off their feet. He could relate to anyone, make them feel comfortable and interact in the most effective way. He mentored a whole generation of ancient numismatists-dealers, collectors, and academics. We were dazzled by his virtuoso performances as auctioneer: he changed languages effortlessly to match the native tongue of each bidder. It was thus all the more amazing to be befriended by the man. My own first meeting with Leo occurred in 1978 during my tenure at Numismatic Fine Arts of Beverly Hills, California. He welcomed me with open arms as a new member of the numismatic fraternity. During these initial years of my career, Leo guided me with his brand of professionalism, ethics and integrity. His important and highly regarded auction sales led NFA to adopt this high standard as our model for decades to come. Our catalogues showed his fingerprints in their quality research and realistic photographs. | |||
| Leo was a patriotic Jew, especially proud to have been the first Jewish bank director in Switzerland. His magnum opus was his book on the coinage of the Bar Kokhba War, published in 1984. He also offered the first overview of the small silver coins minted by the province of Yehud (Judah). The so-called Philisto-Arabian coinage was another of his favorite topics and he was preparing a comprehensive study at the time of his death. | |||
| Leo's loving nature is reflected in his collection of ancient animals, who are never depicted as subject to human masters or engaged in predatory acts. At one time the lion from the sarcophagus (ALM12 below) decorated Leo's office at Bank Leu because, as he delighted in pointing out, Leu means "lion," as does the name Leo. But Leo agreed to sell me the piece because he was unhappy with its violent theme. As his collection of animals grew, it was exhibited publicly at museums in the United States, Israel, and Europe, and documented in a series of books and exhibition catalogues. Leo donated some of his finest objects to museums, but it was his express wish that the remainder of his collection be dispersed so that a new generation of collectors and museum curators might enjoy his animal friends. The present offering is only a small tribute to Leo, a modest attempt to offer collectors worldwide one of his true loves in life, his "peaceable kingdom" of animals. | |||
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