Vienna and Bratislava

Last week I had a small weekend away to Vienna, Austria, as well as a small excursion to the next country over, Slovakia.  Whilst in both Vienna and Bratislava I came across some sections of two museums which have been devoted to the subject of numismatics.  I thought it would be a good chance to share my thoughts and experiences of both places here on my blog.

Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna

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The coin galleries of the Kunsthistorisches Museum only comprise a small section of the third floor of the building, and during my visit, don’t actually command a high turnout of people wanting to see them.  However, the collection itself is spread over three rooms, with the first being dedicated to medallions, and their development in Austria over time.  As the picture above shows, the layout of the rooms were pretty formal, with many clear examples on display.  The pictures on the wall are something unrelated to the field of numismatics, but are a collection of images which were collected by Archduke Ferdinand of Austria-Tyrol comprising of over 1000 likenesses of European notables dating from after 1579.

The collection has been one of the main displays of the museum since it was opened to the public in 1891, and it’s initial focus was exclusively on coins, medals, and orders of merit pertaining to Austria.  In the early part of the twentieth century, the focus shifted and the collection cast a wider net, and sought to envision the development of coins and monetary systems as a whole, internationally, rather than just Austria.  Examples of pre-monetary forms of currency on show, as well as die stamps, scales and weights, hoard vessels and so on.

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It goes without saying a dearth of examples were on show in just 3 meagre rooms.  With many international examples being readily available.  My one true bugbear however was the descriptions near all the samples shown.  I understand they are not going to print the information in a language the natives don’t speak, so my first port of call was the pamphlet in my language readily available to the side of the main entrance of the gallery.  What I didn’t expect was to be carrying a hefty tome to rival even the most extensive dictionary in print today.  Lugging that thing for the time it takes to explore the gallery completely is a herculean task I am not used to performing.  However, in spite of carrying a book heavy enough to kill someone, the information contained within was flawless.  The amount of knowledge, detail and throw-away trivia was astounding.  So I must give kudos to whoever wrote it, they knew their stuff.  I just wish it wasn’t so darned heavy!

Bratislava Castle

Bratislava castle is a site which has been occupied for thousands of years, so a wealth of history is ripe to be exploited from the get go, something which is well under way.  The castle itself, although as a building has occupied the site for about 800 years, has undergone extensive restoration and reconstruction since 2008.  This is in an effort to repair the failing and dilapidated building which once occupied the site.  Much of the grandeur of the 18th century building has been restored and walking the sweeping rooms and galleries of the building imparts a simple sense of awe as you gaze out of the myriad number of windows looking at the views of the city and surround landscape.  Much of the building is taken over to exploring the history of Slovakia, and Bratislava itself.  One part through which we will explore is the small section of Celtic life presented in the pre-Roman part of Slovakia’s history in the castles catacombs.

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Although not very large, the small section dealing with coins was very interesting.  As you can see from the photo above, it is limited to a small column and a few glass cases.  Behind the black screen in the back of the photo there was also a small part detailing how the ancient Celts minted the silver coins they used for trade, with some early Roman examples of coin molds being on display.  This really caught my attention as I have never had a chance to see one in person before.  I lament however a proper picture couldn’t be taken due to technical difficulties, and an overzealous museum guide decrying ‘No photos!’  Although sparse on any actual information (what little presented is in either Slovakian or German), there was a kind woman available to explain everything about the displays to me.  It turned out, she was the main researcher for the coins found, and wrote much of the information presented in the museum.  A book detailing all the information I wished to know was available written by her.  A instant purchase by me if there ever was one, unfortunately, no English copy was available.  In fact, in the castle shop there was a multitude of literature devoted to the field of numismatics ranging from site reports to small pamphlets, all reasonably priced too.  However, all of them were in Slovakian.  I did ask if there would be a chance of an English translation, but the closest clear answer I got was ‘maybe sometime in the future, but nothing is in the works right now’.  A shame, as I feel a lot of the information on offer could spark further interest from further afield.  Either way, I will be watching and hoping something does come along…

Collection update February ’17

This month’s acquisitions were not as numerous as last months.  I only bought a couple of small groups of coins, but also acquired some banknotes along with them.  The majority of the coins bought had a silver content, and this was due in part because I have recently started looking into what is known as ‘stacking’.  I will create a post going into further detail about this later in the future, but to summarise it succinctly, it is the process of purchasing precious metals, be it in coin or bullion form, in the aim of creating a significant investment stockpile.  I personally think this might be a good idea if I am collecting coins seriously, as it could possibly finance further purchases in the future, but also act as a fall-back pension scheme because the way my country is being run….I will be lucky to live long enough to get one…

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Now the coins I got came from three different countries, Germany, Switzerland and the UK.  Roughly half of them contain a silver content.  Overall the coins themselves are not overly interesting.  The designs are rather lacklustre, and although not pictured here, the German coins right at the bottom of the picture date from the Nazi regime of the 1930’s-40’s.  The reverse is not shown, due to obvious reasons, but in my personal opinion, I feel items of this nature shouldn’t be hid or shunned.  They allow historians, archaeologists, and others to approach sensitive subjects and crack them open for debate and discourse.  Sweeping distasteful history and subjects under the rug over the fear of offending a persons sensibilities does a disservice for the general population as a whole.  By denying the chance to educate people about why these events happened, we run the risk of these events repeating themselves.  Something which frighteningly is looming on the horizon.  However, small political rant over, the banknotes are much more interesting items to discuss this time.

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These banknotes were part of a single lot, along with the German coins shown in the previous photo.  Now the main reason I bought the group was not because of the coins, or in fact three fifths of the banknotes present.  No, the main reason was the two banknotes on the far left of the picture.  These two brightly coloured notes are what are known as ‘Notgeld’.  Predominantly a staple of Germany and Austria circulated during the inter-war years of WWI and WWII.  They are one, if not the most, of my favourite things in the numismatic world.  Each note is brightly decorated with scenes, architecture or local myths and legends of each town which issued the banknote.  They are not dissimilar to the trade token coinage used in London during the 18th century, or the company coinage used in remote mining towns across the US back in the day (and many other examples besides).  Albeit the German examples can sometimes be described as works of art in some cases.  I generally purchase these things every chance I get, and have actually amassed a small forest of these things.  I remember last year whilst visiting the Netherlands buying every single one from an antique market stall in Amsterdam.  I got a few funny looks whilst going through airport security on my way back with over 300 banknotes in my possession.  Suffice to say, I could wax lyrical about these things, but I think that too would be a perfect subject for another blog post at a later date.

Berlin World Money Fair 2017

With the closing of the weekend, one of the main numismatic highlights on the calendar here in Europe comes to an end.  The Berlin Money Fair is a chance for many companies, mints, and precious metal refineries to showcase their work to the world.  Be it upcoming releases for the year, or updates on new techniques in the production of such pieces.  Over the three days the fair is held, guests and visitors are able to purchase samples and pieces well before being released to the general public.  Such as the new £1 coin set to be released in the UK this March, referred to as being “the most secure coin in the world” by the Royal Mint.

Each year a special guest is touted as the main highlight for the weekend, and this year the South African Mint gained that honour.  Along with the Rand Refinery, speakers from both institutions gave talks on the SA Krugerrand, as 2017 marks the 50th anniversary of this well known coin.  First minted in 1967, the Krugerrand has gone on to be one of the worlds most coveted bullion coins for both collectors and investors alike.  A total of 52 million oz of gold has been minted into coins since it’s first inception.

Along with special guests, each year a member of the industry gains a lifetime achievement award.  This year, the award went to Yu Min who is the senior designer at China’s Shanghai mint.  Holder of many Coin of the Year awards, he is the mastermind behind the gold and silver pandas, China’s answer to the South African Krugerrand.  Another favourite of collectors worldwide, particularly for their whimsy depiction of the animal, and differing design each year.

Finally, another feature of the fair is for the German Mint to showcase it’s new collectors coin.  Last year, they revealed a 5 Euro coin with a blue polymer ring with a facsimile of the planet Earth on the reverse inside.  Designers of the coin said it reflects the beautiful fragility of the planet we reside on and how the ozone is just a thin layer protecting us, a sentiment which sounds a tad too artsy for me, but the coin itself does look pretty nice in my personal opinion.  This year, continuing the theme of the environment, they have showcased a new 5 Euro coin with a red polymer ring.  This coin will be the first in a series of five, and will represent one of climate zones on Earth.  The first coin represents the ‘Tropical Zone’.  I will let you read the designers thoughts about what the image represents by clicking the link above.  It still sounds a bit too artsy for my liking.  I also much prefer last years design…

First Steps.

Now that the new year has started and we approach the end of January, it is time to share my first attempts at buying interesting items for my collection.  Now although I only started the blog recently, I had intentions to possibly start last month (Dec 2016).  Thus, I will be combining the results of what I got into this one entry instead.

The first thing to cover (pun not intended) is a first day cover of the new 50p piece being brought into circulation here in the UK.  It is to commemorate the 950th anniversary of the battle of Hastings, a significant turning point in my country’s history.

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I will admit, I am not a fan of first day covers and actually relish the search amongst my pocket change for special issues like these.  Buying them straight off, even though they are in fantastic condition, feels a little like cheating and cheapens the whole adventure of finding them.  What twisted my arm in this respect was that the company selling the coin also included a special offer.  For just the price of the first day cover, which was £10 at the time, they also included a solid silver recreation of one of William the Conqueror’s coins.  I personally think the coin itself is ugly, further reinforced by the fact a large ‘COPY’ is engraved in the centre of the coin on the side not shown, but being offered free when it is valued at three times the price of the one I am buying….well count me sold!  I mean owning silver is not a bad thing is it?

My next purchase was a small collection of 19th and early 20th century coins.  When I first saw them for sale I knew I had to have them.  There were coins dating from early to mid 19th century I had not seen before, as well as some coins from countries I just don’t own a lot of.  The picture below shows a small smattering of the coins I myself thought were the more interesting of the lot.

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My favourite pieces had to be the three coins on the top right of the photo.  These are 8 Maravedies pieces from Spain.  I like them due to their unusual design on the reverse of the coin, as it is something I have not come across before.  The interest was sparked further by the fact a female ruler present on the coins also, something I did not know Spain had had, which led me to go delving into a history fact finding mission.  I love finding something which causes me to go and find out the reason behind it, especially when I learn something new, which brings me to this next photo.  These small coins were included in the collection above, and had me completely confused when trying to work out where they were from.  The fact they were very worn didn’t help much.  The mixture of Britannia on one side, and Greek lettering on the other had me immediately think of Cyprus.  However, I thought wrong and it led to a dead end.

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After an hour of searching and exhausting options through endless google searches I managed to pinpoint the provenance of these coins.  It turns out that they hail from the confederation of Ionian Islands which were controlled by the British after the Napoleonic Wars in 1815 until they were finally reunited with Greece 50 years later.

The last of the items I purchased was a large bulk collection of coins, mainly dating from the early to mid 20th century.  It included many pre-decimal coins from Britain (silver coins included), as well as no end of US one cent coins.  I also feel I could buy a small log cabin somewhere in the wilderness of Canada with the amount of 1 cent coins I got too.  However, I also got coins from a wider variety of places.  From the Falkland Islands, to Japan and Singapore.  From Russian kopeks to South African rands, and everything in between.  The variety was truly astounding, although a vast majority I have already got examples of.  The one coin which stood out from all this though was a single US one cent coin.  The reason it stood out is because it is the first example of this type of coin to feature Lincoln on it.  Dating from 1909 and designed by Victor Brenner, it replaced the Indian Head cent.  Although the design on the reverse changed in 1959 to the Lincoln Memorial, the figure of Lincoln remained, and continues to do so today.

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The start of something new…

So with this post I begin what is, to me anyway, something entirely new and different. My aim is to share my fascination and joy of numismatics, with you, my readers of this blog.  Each month I aim to post ramblings and possible diatribes on my latest acquisition, with information about any interesting coins or banknotes wherein.  As I post facts and information regarding the pieces I collect, I hope to spark other people to get involved with this much loved hobby.

Now, although I have been a collector for many years, and even studied the subject in a historical context at a university, I still consider myself very much an amateur.  So feel free to follow me on my adventures and we can learn new things about this subject through my failings and successes.  So look forward towards the end of this month for my first real blog post where I will share with you my first attempts into becoming somewhat professional…or at the very least better informed!