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Author Topic: Holiday guide - museums  (Read 4273 times)
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chrisild
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« Reply #60 on: March 22, 2010, 04:11:18 PM »

I saw the exhibition and was VERY impressed. The collection of the Geldmuseum is finger-lickin'. If they come out with what they consider their 100 best pieces, it's a spectacle.

Yesterday I was in Utrecht and visited the museum. And I agree, that presentation is a great one. Very interesting coins, and a good way of showing them (and other money related objects, as you mentioned).

I am not quite sure whether "Eyecatchers" is a temporary or permanent show; probably something in between. Smiley There is no deadline, as in "on display until 31 March" or so, but since the museum has 400,000 objects that could be shown, it may be modified or replaced by a new exhibition at some point.

Some objects (such as bank note designs) you can view from above. Others, particularly the coins are in vitrines that allow you to see both sides. Very nice by the way: The description/info in on either side, so you can view an obverse and read the explanation, then walk around the vitrine, see the reverse and read the same text again. No reason for running back and forth ...

By the way, the objects shown there are also depicted in a nice catalog (A4 size) that you can buy at the museum store. The texts are a little shorter than the ones that accompany the exhibition, but quite a few photos are enlarged. Oh, and it has lots of women wearing nothing but makeup and coins. Nah, no full frontal nudity, but apparently the catalog makers know that coin collectors are primarily male.

Another interesting show (did not see the entire museum on that day) is "Poen, Para, Doekoe, Floes". The mint building is in a pretty multicultural quarter (Lombok), and the show has life-size photos of many of them, each one showing money from his or her native country. You will see an actual note or coin, and can read a short comment. Probably made with junior visitors in mind, but nicely done for not-so-young people too. By the way, they do a lot for and with kids; I was pleasantly surprised at how many families, ie. parents with children, were there.

The museum is usually (Tue-Fri) open from ten to five. On Sat/Sun it does not open until noon, but (for those who do not take public transport to get there) parking around the mint/museum is free, and actually available, on Sundays. Wink

Christian
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« Reply #61 on: May 02, 2010, 09:27:35 PM »

Coin reflects early currency styles
By Zhao Dan  |   2010-5-2  |      

STARTING from the Tang Dynasty (AD 618-907) in ancient China, coins used as currency were called "tong bao."

Different emperors issued different kinds of coins in their ruling title name.

For example, the coins issued by Emperor Yongle in the early Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) are called "yong le tong bao."

The Shanghai Museum displays a partly damaged yong le tong bao.

The bronze coin is called "ji zhong qian," meaning it was inscribed with the weight of the coin.

The inscription on the back of the coin, says "san qian," which means "3 qian."

Qian was a unit of weight in ancient China, and 1 qian approximately equalled 3 grams, so that the coin weighs about 9 grams.

The front of the coin is inscribed with the four characters "yong le tong bao."

These characters represent the name and type of the coin and indicate the time when it was made.

The characters on the coin bear the style of the earlier Song Dynasty (960-1279) and are clearly inscribed in an ancient and elegant writing method.

Only two "yong le tong bao" coins weighing 3 qian are known to exist.

One of them, a coin completely intact, has been lost.

This damaged one was found by coin expert Wang Yinjia, now deceased, who was a Suzhou native.

It was later added to the Shanghai Museum collection.

The coin is not recorded in history books and experts believe this is because it could be a product of a trial casting.

The discovery of the coin not only fills in the blanks of history books, but also is significant for historians wanting to know more about the currency systems of the early Ming Dynasty.

Source: Shanghai Daily
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« Reply #62 on: May 03, 2010, 09:53:15 AM »

To me, the Ashmolean Museum in Oxford still looked like a mad scientist's attic, which is fortunate for me, because that sort of museum I like best.
Side note: Oxford's "park and ride" system (combined with pedestrian streets in the centre) works very well, with constant, cheap bus transportation to the centre from two parking areas. Alas, the system is a victim of its success. The parking areas fill up quickly in the morning and are full for the remainder of the day. Either arrive early or prepare to wait in your car until someone leaves. Alternatively, arrive by public transportation.

Visit highly recommended.

Peter


Hello, Peter, I know you wrote this some time ago, and I apologise for late reply, but I only managed to get there a couple of weeks ago.  May I take issue with your description of the way the coins are laid out?  I had the advantage, before looking round, to get advice (also available in the 'bumf' available to the visiting public) about the layout and why and how the galleries were laid out in the way they were.  Taking that into account, the layout seemed natural, and made sense from both a time and place point of view.

And the Coin Room itself can be accessed by anyone, with a prior appointment, and any part of the collection can be viewed, handled, photographed, and notes taken in a very light, airy study room (which may not prove to be big enough to hold everybody who wants to use it, once word gets around).  To those interested in Indian coins, I recommend first approaching Dr Shailendra Bhandare, well-known to members of the ONS?)

And, yes, if arriving by car, please use the park 'n' ride facilities.  It is an old, crowded city, with little parking available - and yes, as Figleaf says  'Come early to avoid disappointment.'

Salvete
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« Reply #63 on: May 14, 2010, 11:25:51 PM »

Ancient Coin Hoards Displayed in Greece’s Capital

12 May 2010 | An exhibition, titled “Found underneath a tree root: Ancient Greek Coin Hoards,” opened in the Athens Numismatic Museum and will be on display through December 31.

The exhibition contains 21 ancient Greek coin hoards, dating to between the fifth and first centuries BC, made up of 3,644 electrum, gold, silver, silver-plated and bronze coins. Two hoards from Epidaurus and Thebes, on loan from the IV and IX Ephorates of Prehistoric and Classical Antiquities respectively, consisting of 549 coins and 498 pieces of gold jewellery, are also included in the presentation.

In archaeology, a hoard is a collection of valuable artefacts, sometimes purposely buried in the ground, usually with the intention of later recovery by the hoarder. However, since hoarders sometimes died, were displaced or forgot about their location before retrieving them, the hoards are often found much later by gold-diggers or archaeologists.

The exhibition in Athens, according to the ana.gr website, aspires to convey to the visitor the mythology surrounding the ancient treasures, with emphasis placed on the conditions of their discovery, the causes behind their concealment and information derived about their initial owners.

According to the publication, ancient hoards – buried inside walls, beneath floors, inside caves or in secret locations, are connected with historical events, offer information on the phenomenon of savings and attest to matters of coin circulation in Greece, focusing on savings at a time before banks and banking systems.

The Numismatic Museum of Athens, whose permanent collection boasts around 600,000 coins covering the ancient Greek world, the Roman and Byzantine periods, western Medieval times and modern times, is the only museum of its kind in the Balkans.

In addition to the coins, the museum’s collection also includes hoards – closed numismatic groups, weights, lead stamps, medals and precious stones, as well as thousands of volumes devoted to the field of numismatics, history, seals and archaeology and an extraordinarily rich archive of documents.

Housed in the Iliou Melathron (The Palace of Ilion), the home of Heinrich Schliemann, the Numismatic Museum’s building was created by German architect Ernst Ziller in the style of the Italian Renaissance adapted to the neoclassical spirit of the late nineteenth century. The building was inaugurated on January 10, 1881, and its inside walls are decorated with paintings on Pompeian themes and the finds of Schliemann at Troy and Mycenae.

Source: Balkan Travellers


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« Reply #64 on: June 13, 2010, 12:52:34 AM »

Rare coin stolen from Paldi museum
Ahmedabad Jun 07 2010

A rare 18th century Mughal coin was stolen from the civic body-run museum at Paldi area in the city on June 4, an official said on Sunday.

“A gold coin belonging to Emperor Muhammad Shah Rangila has gone missing from the museum and we have registered a police complaint in this regard,” said the museum in-charge. He said the 10.5 gm gold coin was a rare item in the museum’s collection.

“In our museum, we have a good collection of rare gold and silver coins, paintings and other artifacts,” the civic official said. According to him, the civic body has now decided to install CCTV cameras so that the museum can be monitored properly.

Meanwhile, officers at the Ellis Bridge police station have recorded the statement of the museum staff and those in charge of security.

Source:
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Numismatica
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« Reply #65 on: July 03, 2010, 04:52:44 PM »

Visited the Dinesh Modi Numismatic Museum in Kalina campus of Mumbai University today Smiley It is basically divided into two parts,one for Indian coinage,and one for foreign.

The Indian section starts with oldest known coins of India(bent bars etc),and gradually it moves towards modern Indian coinage.I could see many familiar coins there,like Larins,punch marked coins(thanks to WoC!).It has a huge collection of princely states' coins,I think at-least one coin from each state has been shown there.It also exhibits some nice British,Portuguese and Danish India coins.Banknotes of British India as well as modern India are worth watching! Some scarce Republic India coins and banknotes (pieforts etc) are also there on display.

The foreign section is mainly flooded by pseudo issues Undecided Lots of NCLTs,bullion pieces...Not so attractive as Indian section!

The museum is open on weekdays (Monday-Saturday),10.00 am-5.00 pm(I guess).

Aditya

PS: I didn't see any security guards outside the museum Grin
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« Reply #66 on: July 03, 2010, 07:03:33 PM »

Your self-control is admirable. Wink

Great, how you could see so much more because you knew what you were looking at. Are there other collections on view in Mumbai? Would you say that this is the city's best numismatic museum?

Peter
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« Reply #67 on: July 03, 2010, 07:11:01 PM »

I do not know any other museum in Mumbai which is devoted completely to coins.There's one Prince of Wales Museum of Western India in South Mumbai (one of the best in India) where they have a section for Indian coins.

A collector from Baroda has set up a museum of coins from his personal collection.I don't have any info about its address..May be asm can help us..

It was allowed to take photos inside the museum,but I didn't have a camera.I didn't carry it because of heavy rains (it was proved to be a wise decision!) I'll take some photos next time. Smiley

Aditya


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« Reply #68 on: August 27, 2010, 01:31:37 PM »

Coins bring great change
AL Ahram weekly, no. 1013 (26 august to 1 september 2010)

Nevine El-Aref visits the newly-opened temporary exhibition at the Egyptian Museum

The Egyptian Museum in Cairo is holding a temporary exhibition on "Coins Through the Ages". Over the past eight years the museum has hosted a series of temporary exhibitions, the most recent of which focussed on five artefacts that had been repatriated to Egypt. The temporary exhibition gallery in Room 44 has also hosted a series of exhibitions on excavations under the direction of foreign missions, including teams from America, France, Poland and the Netherlands.

"Coins Through the Ages" includes a vast collection of gold, silver and bronze coins dating back to historical eras from the late Pharaonic right through the Mameluke period. Also featured in the exhibition are a gold belt of Ptolemy III Euergetes and a number of gold bullion pieces from the fourth century AD. These objects were previously placed on display in the coin and papyri section of the museum.

To highlight the distinguished collection, says Sayed Hassan, co-director of the Egyptian Museum, the museum will use the exhibition to show how Egypt's political, economical and religious history can be traced through its coinage.

Wafaa El-Seddik, the director of the Egyptian Museum, says the exhibition is the first of its kind and will include early coins bearing hieroglyphic symbols.

Mohamed Abdel-Fattah, the head of the museum department at the Supreme Council of Antiquities (SCA), says that before the invention of a monetary system people bartered their surplus crops and cattle amongst themselves to obtain the necessary commodities. The invention of coins provided the means of transition from a barter system to a monetary system. Metal coins are divisible, variable in form, convenient for trade with foreign markets and can be saved for use at a later time.

The first people to invent a coinage-system were the Lydians of Asia Minor in the second half of the seventh century BC. The rich Greek merchants trading in the city-states on the western coast of Asia Minor adopted the Lydians' weight-system and began to issue oval ingots stamped with seals to guarantee weight and purity. After about 600 BC the use of coinage spread rapidly to Greece, and there, owing to improved techniques, coins developed into a splendid quality. Croesus, King of Lydia (560-546 BC) was the first ruler to strike coins in gold and silver.

During the Pharaonic period, gold, silver and bronze rings and large bronze ingots were sometimes used in the barter system. When the Persians first came to Egypt in 525 BC they brought their coins with them. The Egyptians treated these coins as ingots, valuing them based on their weight in metal and sometimes melting the coins for other uses. In the 30th Dynasty the Egyptians revolted against the Persians, and Nectanebo and his son, Tachos, struck Athenian coins to pay the Greek soldiers who helped them fight the Persians. The coins were also used in transactions with Asian merchants. These famous coins were called nwb-nfr, based on the two hieroglyphic signs on the obverse (or front surface), meaning "fine gold". These rare coins, which have a picture of a horse on the reverse (or back surface), are now representative of the transition from barter to coinage in Egypt. The nwb-nfr coins were still likely to have been used in the barter system as well as in a monetary fashion with foreigners, since the ancient Egyptians had not yet adopted a monetary trade system.

When Alexander the Great came to Egypt in 332 BC he considered himself a successor to the Pharaohs. During his reign, the typical coin bore depictions of deities or religious symbols. Alexander's image appeared on coins after his death in 323 BC. In this image he was portrayed as a deity or a hero on the obverse, while Zeus was represented on the reverse.

In approximately 306 BC the Greek governor became an independent ruler, and shortly thereafter the first coinage of an independent Egypt was created. When Ptolemy I Soter proclaimed himself to be the king of Egypt, he struck his own coins in gold, silver and bronze. On the obverse was the head of Ptolemy I and on the reverse was an eagle on a thunderbolt, both symbols of Zeus. Around the edge of this scene appeared the king's name in Greek characters.

During the Roman era beginning with the reign of Augustus Egypt had special coins known as Alexandrian coins. These coins were named after the city in which they were minted and were restricted to use within Egypt. These Roman coins also had Greek inscriptions. The obverse showed a depiction of the emperor's head; the revers, beginning in the third century AD, bore representations of various Egyptian, Greek and Roman deities. After the Arab conquest of Egypt in 641 AD the name of the minting location on the coins was changed to the Arabic script.

Source: Al Ahram

Photo caption: gold Graeco-Roman coins on show, photo: Khaled El-Fiqi


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« Reply #69 on: August 27, 2010, 04:26:13 PM »

Old Money Shows At Princeton


Detail From: Czechoslovakia, 50 korun, 1929. (Front.)
Designed by Alfons Mucha, engraved by Karel Wolf.
Collection of Vsevolod Onyshkevych.

(All Images Courtesy Of Princeton University Numismatic Collection.)

It makes the world go around, it talks, it can't buy happiness, and the only sure way to double it is to fold it over once and put it in your pocket. Yes, we're talking a mark, a yen, a buck, or a pound, but minus that clinking, clanking sound. In other words, currency. While vintage coin collections are a dime a dozen, it is more unusual, and more difficult, to accumulate historical paper money. Almost as quickly as they disappear from the average checking account, banknotes become victims of the wear and tear of circulation. The average life span of a one dollar bill is 22 months according to the Federal Reserve Bank. By contrast, the average coin stays in circulation for 25 years. But the design and creation of printed bills dates all the way back to 7th century China, and a new exhibition of archival currency at Princeton University's Firestone Library proves making money really can be a fine art.


Robert Deodaat Emile Oxenaar,
Dutch 100 Guilder Note, 1977. (Front)
Collection of Vsevolod Onyshkevych.


Detail From Obverse.


Robert Deodaat Emile Oxenaar,
Dutch 100 Guilder Note, 1977. (Back)
This Beautiful Note Has Since Been Replaced By The Euro.

The exhibit, Money on Paper, features American currency from Princeton's Numismatic Collection, one of only three such comprehensive collections at a U.S. university. (The others are at Yale University and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.) Princeton's currency collection includes over 650 U.S. Colonial/Continental notes, roughly 2,000 Confederate States of America bills, and nearly 1,200 19th century American "Broken Bank Notes," so named because of the frequency with which the issuing banks closed up shop, leaving the bill holder with a fistful of worthless paper. Supplementing the display are rare items on loan from the world class banknote collection of Princeton Class of 1983 alum, Vsevolod Onyshkevych, which is particularly strong in European currency.


New Jersey, 1 shilling, December 31, 1763.
Designed By Benjamin Franklin.
Printed by James Parker, Woodbridge. (Front)


New Jersey, 1 shilling, December 31, 1763. (Back)

Beginning in 1684, British colonies were barred from minting their own coins. This led to the American colonies becoming one of the earliest regular issuers of paper money. Both Paul Revere and South Carolina engraver Thomas Corum were notable designers of colonial currency, but the most inventive note printer of the era was, not surprisingly, Benjamin Franklin, who even penned a 1729 treatise on the subject. Beginning in 1730, Franklin was the printer of all paper money issued by Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Delaware. Franklin's license to print money proved extremely lucrative, and he devised several ingenious ways to prevent counterfeiting. These included a secret process for transferring the irregular patterns and fine lines of tree leaves onto printing plates, and the creation of a unique paper stock infused with mica particles.


John James Audubon,
Grouse Vignette, c. 1822.

The star attraction of the Princeton exhibit is the first public display of what has been called the "holy grail of Audubon scholarship," the recently discovered banknote engraving of a grouse by the great wildlife illustrator, which is his first published work. Audubon had made two references to the illustration in his diaries, but some researchers doubted its existence. It was even suggested that Audubon lied when he wrote of it to enhance his, then nonexistent, reputation. Eric Newman, a numismatic historian, and Robert Peck, a senior fellow with Philadelphia's Academy of Natural Sciences spent ten years searching for the long-lost illustration. They discovered it on a sheet of sample images produced in 1824 by a New Jersey engraver who specialized in illustrations for banknotes. Although it is unsigned, the image is "Vintage, quintessential Audubon," according to Roberta Olson, curator of drawings at the New York Historical Society, which houses all 435 original watercolors for Birds of America. On display with a sample sheet containing the vignette will be an original watercolor by Audubon, a steel printing plate from Birds of America, and the Princeton first edition of the elephant folio book open to the page with Audubon's drawing of the pinnated grouse.


Who Knew George Had Such Great Gams?


New York, New York, The National Bank, $5, Unissued Proof (c. 1829).
Vignettes of George Washington and the Mythological Figure Hebe
by Asher B. Durand.


Imagine The Uproar If Today's Treasury Department
Issued A Five Featuring This Scantily-Clad Beauty?

One of the premier banknote designers of the first half of the 19th century was renowned Hudson River School painter, Asher B. Durand. Durand began his career as an engraver. He produced the well-known engraving of the signing of the Declaration of Independence for portraitist John Trumbull, which in 1995 became the obverse design on the two-dollar bill. Durand, along with his brother, Cyrus, pioneered the classical, patriotic designs which still hold sway over American currency today. Their intricate borders and highly detailed designs were also a delightfully decorative way of discouraging would-be forgers.


John C. Calhoun,
7th Vice President Of The United States.


Confederate States of America, $1,000,
Montgomery, Alabama, May 22, 1861.


Andrew Jackson,
7th President Of The United States.

Another section of the exhibit compares the imagery of Northern and Southern currency before and during the American Civil War. Included is a complete set of six notes printed by the National Bank Note Company of New York and smuggled into the Confederacy in 1861 for distribution as currency of Alabama and Virginia. These notes are in Extremely Fine condition, making them exceedingly rare.


Obverse of the Series of 1896 Silver Certificate:
"Electricity as the Dominant Force in the World."


And The Image That Got It Banned In Boston.[/size
]

The American section of the exhibition ends with the Educational Series of 1896, a group of Silver Certificates featuring allegorical motifs, and considered to be the most beautiful currency ever produced in the United States. Designed and engraved by some of the most important illustrators of the day, the series featured the infamous five-dollar bill "banned in Boston" due to its depiction of bare-breasted women on the obverse.


Czechoslovakia, 50 korun, 1929. (Front.)
Designed by Alfons Mucha, engraved by Karel Wolf.
Collection of Vsevolod Onyshkevych.

The European section of the show includes Czechoslovakian currency produced by Alfons Mucha, better known for his Art Nouveau posters of actress Sarah Bernhardt, among others. When Czechoslovakia won its independence after World War I, Mucha designed the first postage stamps, banknotes and other government documents for the new state. By the late 1930's Mucha's art, and his Czech nationalism,were denounced in the Nazi press. When German troops invaded Czechoslovakia in the spring of 1939, the 79 year-old artist was considered so dangerous he was among the first persons detained by the Gestapo. During his imprisonment and interrogation, Mucha contracted pneumonia. Though eventually released, his health was ruined, and he never recovered. Broken-hearted at the takeover of his homeland by Hitler, Mucha died on July 14, 1939.


Czechoslovakia, 50 korun, 1929. (Back)
Designed by Alfons Mucha, engraved by Karel Wolf.
Collection of Vsevolod Onyshkevych.


Something For The Ladies:
Money Featuring A Beefcake Shot.

A publication entitled Money on Paper, by Princeton's Curator of Numismatics Alan M. Stahl, accompanies the exhibit. It contains a full catalogue of the bank notes on display, with many illustrated in full color. There are also three illustrated essays in the catalogue: Mark Tomasko writing on "Bank Note Engraving in the United States," Francis Musella on "Benjamin Franklin's Nature Printing on Bank Notes," and an edited version of the headline-making article by Robert Peck and Eric P. Newman entitled "Discovered! The First Engraving of an Audubon Bird." The Money on Paper exhibit at the Leonard L. Milberg Gallery for the Graphic Arts of the Firestone Library opens August 30, 2010 and continues through January 2, 2011.

Source: SeattlePi
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« Reply #70 on: August 30, 2010, 01:26:18 PM »

Rarest Coins Ever in Daraa National Museum
Sana, 29/08/2010

Horan area in southern Syria knew currency thousands of years ago instead of the exchange system that prevailed in contemporary civilizations, securing a place on the economic map and an effective role in trade exchange.

The big number of the unearthed coins in Horan reflects the flourishing economic and trade environment as well as the political and administrative image that prevailed during the Classical Age in the region.

Ayham al-Zoubi, Secretary of Daraa National Museum said: “The museum has a coin with the image of Emperor Philip the Arab (Marcus Julius Philippus) who ruled in Rome (244-249 A.D.), which is, as historians say, one of the rarest coins in the world.”

He added the museum has 7,500 coins, 6,000 of which were unearthed in Sanamain city in 2007.

Al-Zoubi indicated that the latest finds unearthed at Tel al-Sheikh Saad site in Horan in 2009 unearthed 74 copper coins dating back to the Greek era, which prove that Horan used coins in trade dealings ever since. The coins also highlight the political, economic and military role of Horan cities, and some of them bear a celebratory character portraying emperors, victories, buildings and gods at that time.

Also, excavations unearthed gold coins dating back to various Islamic eras, the most famous of which is the golden Dinar of al-Motassembillah, minted in 224 Hijri in Sanaa, Yemen.

“Trade is the mainstay of the Syrian economy, given Syria's geographical position and economic production”, says the German researcher Horst Klengel.

Source: Day Press
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« Reply #71 on: September 02, 2010, 02:33:40 AM »

It’s all about the money
By VERDEL BISHOP Monday, August 30 2010

PEOPLE OFTEN drop coins on the ground and don’t bother to pick them up because they think it isn’t worth the time or effort. When most of us go into a store, we leave the one cent change with the cashier because we don’t see its value.

Some people store their coins away for years and years without considering its worth; but consider this — it costs this government 17 cents to make one cent. This should be enough to cause you to be mindful of the value of your cents. And if you are still not convinced, a visit at the Central Bank Money Museum in Port-of-Spain, would surely make you realise that every cent counts.

Objects like knives and spades and various shapes and sizes of coins and banknotes have all served as money in different times and places. These items, as well as a wealth of historical information can be obtained at the Central Bank Money Museum.

Visitors to the museum hear fascinating stories about money, from barter to modern times, learn about money’s history and see examples of rare coins and currency.

According to Central Bank Senior Manager, Nicole Crooks, as money continues to evolve, so does the museum, which was launched six years ago, to mark the Central Bank’s 40th anniversary.

“The museum provides an alternative learning experience for students and adults. It tells a story through a mix of showcases, graphics, multi media and interactive elements. We are always upgrading the museum to keep it fresh and informative,” Crooks said.

“Our aim is to make the museum more interactive and we are putting things in place to facilitate this. We have a lot of tourists and students who visit the museum. We have had over 18,000 visitors.”

There are interactive games which allow visitors to learn the fundamentals of investing. There are touch screen computer monitors which allow visitors to test their knowledge of this country’s financial history. The Central Bank is currently upgrading the museum with additional features and artifacts.

One interesting point is that this country doesn’t make its own money. The coins are made at the British Royal Mint and the bank notes are made at Del la Rue, also in Britain. This country’s

banknotes are actually made from processed cotton fibres. Although the TT currency is made elsewhere, this country is responsible for the design, as well as the security and integrity and security of the currency in circulation. The ingredients used for the ink on which the banknotes are printed are kept secret.

A tour of the museum, led by museum technician Cynthia Stephenson, covers world money, the history of TT’s money and the Central Bank. There is a display on the birth of the coin, with a vast showcase of coins made in the shape of knives and spades. There are coins from places like China, as well as centuries old Greek and European coins and the smallest coin in the world, which came from India.

Stephenson said this country frequently updates its bank notes to avoid counterfeit. She said although statistics on the prevalence of counterfeiting in this country are not readily available, during Carnival and Christmas cases of forgery are prevalent.

“Money goes through a lot of changes, but when it comes back to the Central Bank, we destroy the money, which helps us to keep a track of the money in circulation at different points.

We update our banknotes frequently and whenever we do this, we ensure that the public is properly informed and educated, through community seminars throughout the country and various advertisements.” Stephenson said people need to know their rights when it comes to money, as most people throw away money once it is ripped or damaged. She said such currency can be replaced at any bank and it is illegal for shops to refuse damaged money.

The Central Bank Money Museum is open to the public Tuesdays to Fridays from 10 am to 2pm.

Source: Trinidad and Tobago's Newsday
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