December 16, 2010 – The Numismatic Collection of the National Museums in Berlin and the Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna have used the exploding gold price and the run on gold as an occasion to organize a joint exhibition. Since March 13, 2011, the exhibition rooms of Berlin’s coin cabinet are showcasing extraordinarily large and heavy gold coinage from antiquity to present times alongside exquisite gold coins and medals. The range of the “Golden Giants” goes from Roman gold medals of the 3rd century to Portugaleser medals and multiple ducats of modern times, including present-day bullion coins. Many of the exhibits from the Vienna Coin Cabinet are being shown for the first time outside their premises. In addition, the exhibition includes prominent items on loan from the Austrian National Bank and many other international collections.
Highlight of the Coin Cabinet at the Kunsthistorisches Museum Wien: The alchemical medallion weighing more than 7 kilo! Photo: Coin Cabinet / Kunsthistorisches Museum Wien.
Special highlights of the exhibition are the largest and heaviest gold coins of the world: Austrian “Big Phil” (Vienna Philharmonic 2004) made of 1,000 ounces of fine gold (31.103 kilos in gold) and the “one-million coin” from Canada, minted with 100 kg of gold in 2007 and sold off in an auction this year for over 3.2 million euro. You will hardly find an opportunity to admire so much gold in one place!
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