Blog
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December 15, 2014
New Acquisitions
The recent additions to the National Currency Collection described below are from very different parts of the world and are between 1500 and 2500 years old.
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November 28, 2014
The Big Nickel
The commemorative 1951 5 cent piece was issued to mark the 200th anniversary of the naming of nickel and its isolation as an element. Recently, I had the great pleasure to participate in the Big Nickel anniversary festivities and give a talk about the design competition for the 1951 5 cent coin.
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November 6, 2014
The Adventure of Exhibit Planning VI
This is not the time for ‘nay sayers’. Basically, we planned a luxury car knowing that when all was said and done, it was going to be a very nice family sedan (maybe with the big engine?).
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October 23, 2014
American Alliance of Museums Expo
The logistics around organizing a 4 day, multi-venue expo that hosted thousands of attendees and featured hundreds of speakers in over 150 sessions would be mind boggling at the best of times.
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October 10, 2014
American Institute of Conservation Annual Meeting
The main purpose for my attendance was to hear about collections care and HVAC systems and to review current lighting recommendations. By far the most inspiring talk was that of presenter Kostas Ntanos, Head of Conservation Research and Development at the National Archives, UK.
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September 29, 2014
The Adventure of Exhibit Planning V
Now the writer takes a deep breath and attempts to take a subject like the ‘representation of 75 years of national identity as depicted on stamps and bank notes’ from 50 pages of research and squash it into 65 words.
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September 18, 2014
Ripley’s Aquarium of Canada
Is it still considered a museum when all the artifacts are alive and swimming about? Why not? There is a carefully researched collection. There is detailed interpretation. There are plenty of screaming kids…
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September 8, 2014
Welcome to the New Website
“The what museum”? Yes, you heard right, we are bidding a fond farewell to the name that served us so well for over 30 years: the Currency Museum. The new name, the Bank of Canada Museum, was chosen months ago but we kept it a deep, dark secret until our new website went live.
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August 11, 2014
Why Go to Conferences?
A time to take a break from the office, meet with old friends and make new ones, party and have a good time… Going to a conference is all of these things. But it is so much more besides.
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August 6, 2014
The Senior Deputy Governor’s Signature
For much of their history, Canadian bank notes have represented a promise, a guarantee that they could be redeemed for “specie” (gold and silver coins) at their parent institution.
