Topics of coins
XVI International Numismatic Congress
International numismatic congresses are the most
important meetings of numismatists from all over
the world. The conferences provide a venue for the
presentation of the most important achievements
in the field of studies on the history of money,
discovered coins and historical events. Recently,
these congresses have been held, among others,
in Belgium, Spain and Italy.
The numismatic congress is an excellent
opportunity to present the country, its scholarly
institutions and other centres dealing with
the history of money. Decisions on the choice
of venue are taken by the International
Numismatic Council. Poland has been awarded
the honour of hosting the conference for the
first time. The XVI International Numismatic
Congress will take place in Warsaw in September
2022. It is jointly organised by the University of
Warsaw, the Royal Castle in Warsaw, the National
Museum in Warsaw, the National Museum in
Kraków, Narodowy Bank Polski and the Polish
Numismatic Society.
The coin features the image of Joachim Lelewel
(1786 -1861), one of the most distinguished
Poles of the 19th century, a great patriot,
an excellent historian, and a world-renowned
and esteemed numismatist.
As a professor at Vilnius University, Joachim Lelewel
was one of the first to deliver lectures on numismatics.
Forced to leave the country in 1831, after the fall of
the November Uprising, he continued and developed
his numismatic studies in Paris, and later in Brussels.
A book on the numismatics of medieval
Europe was a huge success, bringing Lelewel
international fame. The acclaim was in no
mean part due to his novel research methods.
Lelewel cemented his reputation writing
an innovative dissertation on Celtic numismatics, published in Brussels, which placed him firmly
among the pioneers in the field.
The reverse of the coin depicts the portrait of
Joachim Lelewel, while the obverse features
the images of historical coins: the thaler
of King Ladislaus IV, the tympf of John Casimir
from 1663, the grosz of Casimir the Great, the
szóstak (six grosz) of John III Sobieski and the
denarius Princes Polonie of Bolesław Chrobry.
Prof. Mariusz Mielczarek