We take a look at a very strange type of money: money made from bird feathers. The feather money consisted of a 9 metre strip of plant fibres covered with the red feathers of the small scarlet honeyeater (Myzomela Cardinalis) and often took the form of a double coil.
The introduction of a single currency in Europe forms part of a long process of economic integration. That is nothing new. Monetary history and the currencies of the past provide us with several examples of common currencies and monetary unions.
According to Régis Bouyala, means of payment are “transaction media made available to economic agents [...] to pay the price of a product or service or to settle a debt.
Counterfeiting is a perennial fact of life. Even in the days before coins came into use, people were faking the current means of payment; and shortly after the first coins were produced in the seventh century BC, the first forgeries also turned up.
In the history of the world, only a few coinages have developed into international commercial currencies. In order to be accepted outside the territory where it was issued, a coin had to satisfy a number of conditions relating to its weight, alloy and value, and had to be familiar to many. From the end of the 12th century, the English sterling penny amply fulfilled these conditions; throughout north-western Europe it enjoyed a reputation as a strong and reliable currency.
Although frequent subject in the news, the notions of purchasing power and inflation are not any easier to understand. In Room 14 of the Museum you can see how prices have changed for a selection of items (bread, meat, milk, beer and coal/oil) and, in parallel, the development of the average hourly wages of a worker, from 1860 until the present day. The table showing the evolution of prices is based on a principle similar to that used for the consumer price index (CPI) .
The newest Belgian 2-euro commemorative coin is dedicated to Louis Braille (1809 – 1852) and the 200th anniversary of his birthday.
Tuesday October 6th, 2009 – 09:23 AM
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Posted in News
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Also tagged coins, euro
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Can art save the world? This is a question which already made many generations of artists, curators and spectators think deep. The question stayed in spite of all this attention unanswered, and maybe it is even better so. Ensor ou le sens des images makes however, as it seems, fun of this whole discussion. Is it possible that the specific view of the Liegois artist Jacques Charlier is to blame?
As summer holidays are approaching loads of activities are possible: spending a few days by the seaside, making a trip abroad, taking time to renovate your house… At the Museum of the National Bank of Belgium, summer holidays mean free entrance for everybody during the months of July and August!
Wednesday June 24th, 2009 – 03:25 PM
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Posted in News
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Also tagged museum
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The Museum of the National Bank of Belgium takes part in the 2009 edition of “Printemps des Musées”, the yearly museum day in the Walloon provinces and in Brussels. The theme of this year: “Colours!”
Thursday May 7th, 2009 – 02:35 PM
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Posted in News
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Also tagged banknotes
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