«Gold – between dream and reality»

A special exhibition of the MoneyMuseum Zurich

From July 2nd, 2010, the MoneyMuseum on Hadlaubstrasse in Zurich will devote itself to the intriguing matter of gold. More than 100 gold coins from the Middle Ages and Modern Times are one highlight of the special exhibition «Gold – between dream and reality». Apart from that, the broad public will find background information and exquisite objects that will greatly increase its knowledge of gold.

The MoneyMuseum with its collection of 2.000 numismatically relevant coins aims at two targets: to show numismatic milestones to a broad audience and to give it an understanding of the history of money. Both objectives serve the purpose to make its visitors think about their own relationship to money. Money being currency is taken for granted – but nobody reflects on its character as increasingly «valueless» book money.

De luxe: Empress Agrippina draped herself in gold 2000 years ago. Today, gold embroidery of Jakob Schlaepfer, St. Gallen, is in great demand all around the world. (Source: Jakob Schlaepfer, St. Gallen)

Contemporary money’s high degree of abstraction becomes clear in the light of the gold price tripping over at present. Confronted with the vicissitudes of the finance jungle, private investors look for safety and reach for the precious metal gold. According to common opinion, gold maintains its value even if banknotes, shared and derivates have long crashed. The millennia-old fascination of gold has its roots deep in the history of money when clever merchants decided to weigh the buying power of the shiny yellowish metal with its weight and trade it in handy ingots and lumps for goods.

Greedy: Gold nuggets from the Klondike River triggered one of the biggest «gold rushes» in Alaska from 1896 onwards. (Source: MoneyMuseum)

Therefore, the MoneyMuseum uses the current «gold rush» on the investment markets as an opportunity to shine a light on that fascination. Gold will be presented in its real form of appearance and in its sometimes emotionally charged form as object of luxury and cult. As part of that path between «dream and reality» it presents the likewise ambivalent history of gold as currency on the basis of more than 100 gold coins from the Middle Ages and the Modern Times.