Browse Exhibits (2 total)

Over my life I have accumulated a small numismatic collection, from limited edition Canadian coins to ancient Roman currency to the complete series of banknotes of the third Zimbabwean dollar, from $1 to $100 Trillion. This exhibit contains detailed descriptions and images of three items that I consider particularly interesting for both historical and collecting reasons.

I believe that creating digital descriptions of such items is beneficial for the overall pool of human knowledge, since their discontinued nature means that they can only become scarcer with time (although these particular specimens are each physically protected: the Canadian dollar bill by clear resin, the Roman coin by a plastic case, and the Zimbabwean banknote by a plastic sleeve). Likewise, all of these items share in the paradox that their discontinuation as legal tender is what gives them value as collector's items, and therefore the ability to fetch more legal tender than they would have at face value. For example, Canadian dollar bills, which are no longer legal tender, can be exchanged at face value, but are often worth far more than this on the collertor's market.

Finally, the contexts of the creation and the state of preservation of the items are worth sharing in themselves: the "Antoninianus" coin of Aurelian directly commemorates his actions as Roman Emperor; the Canadian dollar bill is not just numismatic material, but a stationery object, and thus has multiple stories to tell; finally, the Zimbabwean banknote is material evidence of the rapid collapse of a country's monetary system, a notable historical event. Essentially, these items can tell stories well beyond their simple use as currency, and this is an opportunity to share them.