Novo Banco and Lisbon’s Nova University have signed an agreement that decides the immediate future of a unique collection of Portuguese coins amassed by Banco Espírito Santo.The 13,000 items that make up the coin collection are available for viewing, as of today, but only for those involved in academic projects who must agree that results of any research are available to both parties and that any future exhibitions will be run and promoted jointly by the bank and the University.
This agreement is part of the Novo Banco Cultura project to "make available to the public the cultural and artistic heritage of Novo Banco," despite the coin collection being restricted to researchers and by appointment only.
The coin collection is housed in an old vault at the Novo Banco headquarters and was purchased when Banco Espírito Santo was run by Ricardo Salgado.
The original collector was entrepreneur, Marques da Costa, founder of Lusiteca Productor Alimentares, SA, famous for its Gorilla brand of chewing gum.
The businessman began purchasing coins and notes in the 1970s, soon building up one of the most important collections in the country.
With 13,000 coins and 4,000 bank notes, "the collection brings together examples of 90% of the coins minted in Portugal’s history," according to its curator, Isabel da Cunha Reis.
The rarest and most valuable coin was minted in 1882 for the coronation of D. Pedro, emperor of Brazil, of which only 16 examples are known to exist.
The collection includes a collection of paintings, contemporary photography and a library of humanistic studies, as well as the coin collection.
The riches in Novo Banco’s vaults now are the property of US vulture fund, Lone Star so it is especially encouraging that these items will be available to academics.
Novo Banco also is in negotiations with the Ministry of Culture to enable the collection of contemporary photography to be put on public display at the São Francisco Convent in Coimbra.
