Accession Policy for Uppsala University Coin Cabinet

Uppsala University Coin Cabinet Working Papers

Hendrik Mäkeler

Uppsala 2016

Edited by Hendrik Mäkeler

This text may be downloaded for personal research purposes only. Any additional reproduction for other ends, whether in hard copy or electronically, requires the approbation of the author(s) and the Uppsala University Coin Cabinet.

urn:nbn:se:uu:diva-307586

Uppsala University Coin Cabinet Box 256, SE – 751 05 Uppsala Sweden www.coincabinet.uu.se www.coincabinet.uu.se/workingpapers/ Accession Policy for Uppsala University Coin Cabinet

CONTENTS

Introduction to Uppsala University Coin Cabinet ...... 4 Donations ...... 5 Permanent loans ...... 6 Purchases ...... 7 Deaccession ...... 9

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INTRODUCTION TO UPPSALA UNIVERSITY COIN CABINET

The Uppsala University Coin Cabinet collects and curates objects relating to all the monetary systems of the world, from the inception of coinage during the 7th century B.C. to the digital currencies of today. At present our collections comprise approximately 40 000 objects. There are less than a dozen university coin cabinets active in the world, including that of Uppsala University. Our remit is principally to support research and education at Uppsala University, but the latest research findings are also presented to the general public during the guided tours that are held when the Coin Cabinet is open to the public. The exhibition currently on display in the Coin Cabinet was installed during 2007-2008. It was made possible by a generous grant from the foundation Sparbanksstiftelsen Upland. Approximately 400 objects are shown in the exhibition. Themes include the history of Uppsala University, Swedish history and the history of Uppland. Further information can be found in our Working Paper ”Om utställningen i Uppsala universitets myntkabinett”.

The exhibition in Uppsala University Coin Cabinet. Photo: Stewen Quigley.

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DONATIONS

The greater part of the collections of Uppsala University Coin Cabinet derives from donations. We cherish the memory of our donors and are proud to be able to preserve and document their collecting efforts. For this reason, unconditional donations are always warmly welcomed. We are interested in coins, medals, tokens and banknotes, as well as other means of payment that are not represented in our collections. However, we reserve the right not to accept objects that are already represented in the collection. Exceptions can be made for objects with particularly interesting provenance, for example important medals received by employees of Uppsala University, or objects that are in substantially better condition than the examples already in the collection.

One of many examples of important donations to Uppsala University Coin Cabinet is the oldest preserved American scientific medal, which was presented in 1795 to Uppsala alumnus Nils Collin for his invention of a “speedy elevator”. Collin described his invention in Transactions of the American Philosophical Society, see http://www.jstor.org/stable/1005127. The medal is shown in the exhibition of the Coin Cabinet (alvin-record:78710), the letter of donation is preserved in the manuscript collection of Uppsala University Library (Nordin 1203, fol. 29r; alvin-record:80081). According to the letter of 1831, Collin donated the medal “as a token of my high regard for the Royal Academy”, i.e. Uppsala University. Photo: Gabriel Hildebrand and Uppsala University Library.

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PERMANENT LOANS

Uppsala University Coin Cabinet does not accept permanent loans.

Part of the exhibition in Uppsala University Coin Cabinet is dedicated to its most important donors. The picture shows, on the left, a bust of Crown Princess Lovisa Ulrika. In 1750 she presented 1 670 mostly Roman coins, duplicates from the collection of Count Carl Gustaf Tessin, to the University. The portrait in the middle shows Carl Didric Ehrenpreus, a University Chancellor during the 18th century. He owned the largest private coin collection in the country, sold to Uppsala University in 1752 for a price of 12 000 daler in silver coin. On the right is Ehrenpreus’ coin cabinet, probably designed by Carl Hårleman and made by Olof Martin. Photo: Mikael Wallerstedt.

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PURCHASES

Uppsala University Coin Cabinet has a limited budget for purchases of numismatic objects. The budget is used according to the following priority sequence (for necessary conditions for purchase, see below): 1) Suggestions for purchase from the Institutions of Uppsala University. Institutions and researchers are encouraged to submit suggestions for purchases that relate to their teaching and research. Objects that are not represented in the collection of Uppsala University Coin Cabinet, and are considered to be of great value to the teaching and research of the University, are prioritised for purchase. 2) Objects relating to the history of Uppsala University and academic research. As one of the few active university coin cabinets in the world, Uppsala University Coin Cabinet places great emphasis on documenting the history of Uppsala University and of academic research in general. Objects that relate to these themes are thus the second priority of the acquisition strategy of the Coin Cabinet. 3) Objects from Svealand, especially Uppland, as well as Gotland. Part of the function of Uppsala University Coin Cabinet is to welcome visitors to Uppsala University from the whole world. In a small space it presents the history of the country and the region. Since the merger with Gotland University, the history of Gotland has also become a prioritised area for acquisitions. Accession is coordinated in dialogue with relevant County Museums. 4) Objects of great historic significance. In addition to the three aforementioned categories, it is important to be able to complement the collection of Uppsala University Coin Cabinet with objects of great historic significance. We also try to complement the collection with objects that are important in the context of Uppsala University’s other museums and cultural heritage collections.

Additional conditions that must be met for proposed purchases: 1) Sufficient funding must be available for the purchase. 2) The vendor must comply with the Code of Ethics of the International Association of Professional Numismatists (see http://www.iapn-coins.org). Among other things, this requires that the vendor must be able to demonstrate the genuineness of the object in a scientifically rigorous manner.

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3) The provenance of the object must be known. 4) The price of the object must be reasonable, even in a long-term perspective. 5) Accession is made in dialogue with the Royal Coin Cabinet in Stockholm.

Kina, 1 Guan Da Ming Tong Xing Bao Chao, utan år. Acquisition 2016 (alvin-record:103929).

Bysans, Heraclius, Solidus 639-641, Konstantinopel. Acquisition 2016 (alvin-record:104038).

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DEACCESSION

No objects are deaccessioned from the collections of Uppsala University Coin Cabinet. There are many reasons for this. Several follow from policies already discussed above: 1) Respect for the donors to the Coin Cabinet prohibits us from pruning or selling off their donations. 2) The Coin Cabinet’s policies for donations and purchases ensure that the collections do not become burdened with duplicates that would be suitable candidates for deaccessioning or sale. 3) The collections of the Coin Cabinet have great importance in the history of ideas as records of the research, teaching and collecting of Uppsala University. 4) In the case of a sale, this value in terms of the history of ideas will never be reflected in the sale price. No purchaser will value the University’s collecting efforts over the centuries as highly as the University itself. 5) The reacquisition costs for sold objects are typically much greater than the income from the sale. Selling parts of Uppsala University’s collections would thus squander public resources.

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