March 29, 2018 – Gold is a metal which has played a particularly prominent role in the history of coins, money and currencies. For around two-and-a-half thousand years, gold coins were an important part of the monetary systems of nearly all states, and gold continues to play an important role as a reserve asset to this today.
To shed more light on the huge significance of gold for currencies, the Bundesbank is hosting a one-day conference in Frankfurt am Main at which distinguished experts will report on major gold currencies from antiquity, the Middle Ages and the modern era, amongst other topics. Speakers will also discuss the processing of gold and offer insights into the world of international gold trading and monetary policy under the gold standard.
Long-term historical developments are key to understanding how Germany’s gold reserves came into being after the end of World War II. The Bundesbank is responsible for managing and storing Germany’s gold reserves. At the end of 2017, this gold had a value of 117 billion euros and accounted for 70% of the Bundesbank’s reserve assets. Weighing in at 3,374 tonnes, Germany’s gold reserves are the second largest worldwide, after those of the United States.
Admission is free, and guests are warmly welcome. Please pre-book using the online form.
Programme
Wednesday, 11 April 2018
Money Museum of the Deutsche Bundesbank
Wilhelm-Epstein-Strasse 14, 60431 Frankfurt am Main
9.00-9.20: Welcome
9.20-10.20: Tour of the special exhibition “Gold. Treasures at the Deutsche Bundesbank”
10.20-10.30: Coffee break
10.30-11.00: Professor Dr Bernhard Weisser (Münzkabinett der Staatlichen Museen zu Berlin): Electrum and gold. Stages of gold coinage in antiquity.
11.00-11.30: Associate Professor Dr Hubert Emmerig (Institute for Numismatics and Monetary History at Vienna University): Gold money landscapes in the German Reich
11.30-12.00: Discussion
12.00-13.00: Lunch
13.00-13.30: Professor Dr Bernd Kluge (Münzkabinett der Staatlichen Museen zu Berlin): “Old Fritz” and the Friedrich d’or. Going for gold in Prussia
13.30-14.00: Professor Dr Svein Harald Gullbekk (University of Oslo): How the decline of a coinage turned the Great Depression around – the 1933 double eagle.
14.00-14.30: Discussion
14.30-14.50: Coffee break
14.50-15.20: Christoph Wild (Argor-Heraeus SA, Switzerland): Gold – the value chain – processing and responsibility
15.20-15.50: Ruth Crowell (London Bullion Market Association): The London Good Delivery Standard
15.50-16.20: Wolfgang Schulte (Deutsche Bundesbank): Bretton Woods and the European Payments Union – how Germany’s gold reserves came into being and what the Bundesbank has done with them
16.20-16.50: Discussion
16.50-17.00: Summary and conclusion
Conference ends at around 17.00
For further information visit the English website of the Bundesbank.