Quick tour of the State Coin Collection, Munich

Bob13

Hi All - has been a quiet summer for me, numismatically speaking. Our family traveled to Germany to see my wife's family and some old friends. We played tourists a little bit in Munich and had a great time. I got to break away (ok, so no one else wanted to join) to see the State Coin Collection of Bavaria/Munich. Here are a few photos:

Here is a coin cabinet I would love to have!

The collection included small displays from different countries. It was fun to see the coins raw and side by side to get a sense of the relative size.

And here are some coins from the Munich mint...

Which made me think of my own!

Overall, a fun, quick trip. They had a lot of Roman coins and many medals as well.

Hope everyone is having a great summer!

scubafuel

Thanks for sharing! Your coin looks like it would be right at home with the museum pieces.

SimonW

That’s awesome! I would really really like a cabinet like that, even more so with the contents.

jdmern

That museum is fantastic, some amazing coins in that collection!

THKCollections

Thanks for sharing! It looks like a great time!

angelo43

Very nice of you to post this. Looks like a wonderful trip

Sapyx

@Bob13 said:
... the State Coin Collection of Bavaria/Munich.

One can speculate, but it seems reasonable that the core of this "state collection" was formerly the royal coin collection of the Electors and later Kings of Bavaria - most German princes had a coin collection, simply because Petrarch said a prince should have a coin collection so it became "fashionable". Most government coin collections around those parts were originally formed and maintained by the monarchs.

If so, I am surprised it managed to remain intact and in state hands through both World Wars.

Bob13

Thanks all for the comments. @Sapyx - I think I learn at least one thing from every post you make! Didn't know that about Petrarch. From Wikipedia:

"[The State Coin Collection] was found by Duke Albert V. By the accession of Elector Palatine Charles Theodore (1777–1799), the Palatine and the Electoral Bavarian collection were combined. During the Napoleonic era many monastic coin collections came into the care of the Bavarian state. Crown Prince Ludwig, later King Ludwig I, had much enthusiasm for Ancient Greek coins and spent a lot of time examining the collection. In the first three decades of the 20th century, the collection was extended to house the Renaissance coins, medals and insignia. In 1963, the current exhibition rooms were opened in the Munich Residenz. With more than 300,000 coins, medals and banknotes from the ancient world to the present time, it is one of the world's leading collections."

I, too, am curious how the coins and all the other holdings of the museum were able to stay intact especially after WW2. Much of the Residenz was damaged, so not sure where the valuables were stored and how the victors did not end up with the spoils. I couldn't find any answers with a quick internet search.

Here are a few other pictures:
Italian States

Other German States
Check out the Wildman, the Teutonic Order, the Bell Taler, and that loser!

There were a lot of ancients and MANY medals. This one caught my eye as there had recently been one at auction.

From Numista:
The medal celebrates the planned Reichstag in Nuremberg and was planned as a present for Emperor Chrles V. When he was crowned in Aachen in 1520, it was decided that the first Reichstag should take place in Nuremberg. In anticipation of this event, the city arranged for Albrecht Dürer to redesign the walls of the town hall and to produce a presentation medal, of which 100 silver medals were to be presented to the emperor. When an epidemic broke out in Nuremberg and the Reichstag had to be relocated to Worms, 167 examples of the medal had already been minted. In 1537, the pieces were melted down except for a few copies. In 1613, there were still 24 pieces including the embossing dies in the town hall archives. At the beginning of the 19th century, when trying to make new impressions from the original dies, the dies broke.

Sapyx

@Bob13 said:
...Crown Prince Ludwig, later King Ludwig I, had much enthusiasm for Ancient Greek coins and spent a lot of time examining the collection.

Petrarch would have approved of King Ludwig.

lordmarcovan

That must’ve been a pulse-pounding visit!

Namvet69

That loser is large and in charge! Thanks for sharing