Nomos AG

What Nomos AG does

Nomos AG is a privately held Swiss numismatic auction house (Aktiengesellschaft) founded in 1972 near Lucerne by Dr. Roland Maly and headquartered at Auf der Mauer 9, Zurich. The firm specializes in finest-quality ancient Greek, Roman, and Byzantine coins, plus Renaissance and 17th-century Dutch medals, serving high-net-worth individual collectors, museums, and academic institutions across Europe, the United States, and the Middle East. Operating galleries at the historic Zunfthaus zur Saffran in Zurich, Nomos conducts 2–3 major floor auctions (the "Nomos" series) per year with a 22.5% buyer's premium, alongside 5–6 electronic web auctions (the "Obolos" series) with a 20% buyer's premium and automated electronic close.

The firm's underlying platform is a custom web-based auction system supporting online registration, electronic bidding at ~10% increments, lot-by-lot timed closing, and real-time bid tracking, with Sixbid integration for cross-auction reach. Revenue mechanics are primarily transactional — commissions on hammer price — supplemented by private treaty sales from inventory and an annual fixed-price list produced for the New York International Numismatic Convention (NYINC) each January. Distribution extends through a distributed cataloguer/researcher network (Belgium, USA, Australia), attendance at major international coin fairs, and direct outreach to consignors with no upfront fees, a model underpinned by IBSCC/IAPN-backed authenticity guarantees.

Name

Nomos AG

Legal name

Nomos AG

Website

https://nomosag.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1972

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Zurich

HQ country

Switzerland

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations

Revenue model

1. Auction Commissions (Buyer's Premium): Nomos charges a buyer's premium on successful bids: 20% for web auctions (Obolos) and 22.5% for printed/floor auctions (Nomos). This is the primary revenue stream.
2. Private Treaty Sales: Direct sales of coins and medals from company inventory at negotiated prices, complementing auction offerings.
3. Fixed Price Lists: Annual fixed price list produced in conjunction with the New York International Numismatic Convention (NYINC) held every January.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Nomos AG is a Swiss numismatic auction house that sells rare ancient Greek, Roman, and Byzantine coins as well as Renaissance and 17th-century Dutch medals. The company operates two auction formats — major floor auctions (Nomos) held 2–3 times a year in Zurich and electronic web auctions (Obolos) held 5–6 times a year — alongside direct private treaty sales and an annual fixed price list issued in conjunction with the NYINC. All lots are catalogued and authenticated by a team of specialist numismatists.

Product overview

Nomos AG operates two core auction products: 'Nomos Auctions' (major floor auctions with 22.5% buyer's premium, held 2-3 times annually in Zurich) and 'Obolos' (web auctions with 20% buyer's premium, held 5-6 times annually). The company also offers Private Treaty Sales for direct purchases of their stock and produces an annual Fixed Price List in conjunction with the NYINC. The platform includes online bidding, registration, and auction management features.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Nomos Auction Major public and mail-bid room auction featuring ancient Greek, Roman, Byzantine coins and Renaissance/Dutch medals held at Zunfthaus zur Saffran in Zurich, with a 22.5% buyer's premium on successful bids. Held 2–3 times per year.
• Obolos Web Auction Web-based online and mail-bid auction with automated electronic close featuring ancient coins and medals. Includes a 20% buyer's premium on successful bids. Held 5–6 times per year.
• Private Treaty Sales Direct sale service offering premium-quality ancient, medieval, and early-modern coins and medals from Nomos' inventory at negotiated prices outside of the auction format.
• NYINC Fixed Price List Annual fixed price list of coins and medals available for direct purchase, produced in conjunction with the New York International Numismatic Convention (NYINC) held every January.

Quantifiable outcome

• All coins guaranteed genuine with authentication backed by IBSCC/IAPN opinion if disputed.

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered minor.

• ZOIX ManufakturminorOthersDesign partner responsible for website and branding work.
• American Numismatic SocietyminorOthersIndustry organization partner; referenced as a numismatic resource and industry affiliation.
• Sincona AGminorOthersSwiss numismatic auction house; industry partner and competitor.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves10 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Roma Numismatics: London-based auction house specializing in Greek, Roman, and Byzantine coinage. Competes for the same consignor pool and buyer base in ancient numismatics and operates a similar web-auction model.
• Stack's Bowers Galleries: US-based auction house specializing in ancient, world, and US coins, with electronic and floor auctions. Rex Gao, Nomos cataloguer, completed Stack's Bowers' training program, evidencing direct functional overlap in cataloguing and ancient coin auctions.
• Leu Numismatik: Swiss numismatic auction house with heritage tied to the historic Bank Leu numismatic department (where Nomos's Senior Numismatist spent 28 years). Directly comparable in product mix (Greek, Roman, medieval) and Zurich-based client base.
• Freeman & Sear: US-based numismatic firm combining private sales and auctions of high-quality ancient and world coins. Comparable product focus, premium positioning, and emphasis on provenance research.
• Classical Numismatic Group (CNG): Established ancient coin auction house and dealer founded by Victor England and Eric McFadden, who were also former co-owners of Nomos AG. Directly comparable in product focus (Greek, Roman, Byzantine coins), catalog quality, and electronic auction cadence.
• Gorny & Mosch: Munich-based auction house conducting fixed-catalog sales of ancient coins, medieval issues, and antiquities. Directly comparable in product focus and traditional catalog auction format.
• Sincona AG: Zurich-based numismatic auction house focusing on ancient coins and Chinese coins. Named as an industry partner of Nomos AG and is the closest geographic and product-line peer within Switzerland.

Regional players

• Baldwin's: London-headquartered numismatic auctioneer (part of the Mastercut Group) with a long history in ancient and British coins. Comparable in product mix but primarily serves UK and Commonwealth collectors with limited overlap in the Zurich-centric Nomos client base.

Broad incumbents

• Heritage Auctions: Largest US-headquartered collectibles auction house, with a substantial numismatics department covering ancient and world coins. Comparable as a competing sales channel for serious collectors, but with much broader category scope (sports, fine art, jewelry) and scale.
• Spink & Son: Long-established London auction house and dealer with a substantial numismatics department covering ancient, world, and British coins. Overlaps in product and institutional client base but operates across stamps, fine art, and collectibles more broadly.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/nomos.numismatics
• Instagraminstagram.com/nomos.zurich
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/nomos-ag

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Nomos AG