University Heritage – Numismatic Collection of the Eötvös Loránd University

In our news series on university cultural heritage, this week we present the fifth largest memory coins collection in Hungary, the Numismatic Collection of the Eötvös Loránd University (ELTE).

The Eötvös Loránd University has many old and valuable collections, of which the Numismatic Collection, Numophylacium, stands out. With a history of more than two hundred and fifty years and 20,000 pieces, it is an outstanding collection of university medal and coin collections in the world today. In recent times, it has been somewhat forgotten compared to its former glorious past, though the university can rightly be proud of its treasures that have survived to this day.

The University of Trnava soon recognized the international needs of education and was among the first to create a numismatic collection. Today's numismatics primarily examines the coins themselves in terms of chronological or iconographic aspects, among others, but until the end of the 18th century they served primarily as inspiration for learning about history based on ancient sources and idealized antique morals. It follows from the close intertwining history of texts and medals that medal collections have long been part of the holdings of libraries.

The Numismatic Collection was established in 1753 by Lipót Fischer, a Jesuit monk. The goal from the very beginning was to use medals for educational purposes. Most of the medals were made of copper, silver and a small part of gold. From the earliest period, the Numismatic Collection had a wide range of collections, as it contained Greek, Roman and Hungarian royal coins, so that it could perform its educational tasks as well as possible. The early augmentation of the collection took place mainly through donations, mainly from Jesuit priests, whose names were also recorded by Lipót Fischer in his catalog of 1762‒1763. 

The significance of the collection is reflected in the fact that Maria Theresa mentioned it by name (Numophylacium) in her educational edict, Ratio Educationis, and also ensured the expansion of the collection. The paths of the University Library and the Numismatic Collection became separate in 1817. The custodians of the medal cabinet were the most prestigious Hungarian archaeologists, who also took care of its expansion: István Schönwisner, Flóris Rómer, Bálint Kuzsinsky, András Alföldi. From the second half of the 19th century, close cooperation was established with the Department of Coins and Medals of the Hungarian National Museum, which still exists today. To this day, the growing university collection allows it to function as an educational aid in accordance with the intentions of the founders.

Lajos Juhász has been managing the Numismatic Collection since 2015, the material has been digitally inventoried with the involvement of students, in parallel with which scientific articles and books based on medal material have been published, and the reception of domestic and foreign researchers has resumed. The Numismatic Collection regularly participates in the series of events as the Day of Archeology and the Researchers' Night, bringing not only numismatics but also the Numismatic Collection of Eötvös Loránd University closer to the general public.

Our picture shows a braid-style coin storage cabinet by Lipót Fischer, with a Latin quote on it, which perfectly reflects the purpose of the collection: “If you want to see old Roman relics, look at the imperial coins! You will learn a lot.” The furniture is a masterpiece with narrow drawers suitable for storing medals, and at the top you can see a gilded lead equestrian statue of Lipót I.

An electronic version of the study presenting the Numismatic Collection is available in the EDIT repository.

We continue our news series with the presentation of the Special Education History Collection of the Gusztáv Bárczi Faculty of Special Education.