Lecture on the coins in the Mauritz Hallberg Collection at the Ostrobothnian Museum

Researcher Outi Järvinen will open the event with a brief overview of the publication project for Mauritz Hallberg’s coin and medal collection. This will be followed by a presentation from numismatist Yrjö Hyötyniemi on Mauritz Hallberg’s passion for Turku coins. The presentation will focus on historic coins minted in Turku, Finland, which have long been the subject of numismatic research and continue to interest scholars in both Finland and Sweden. They were also the main focus of Hallberg’s own collecting and research, and he compiled his findings in the publication Några anteckningar om Åbomynten (Helsingfors 1919).

It is possible to participate in the lecture in the auditorium of the Ostrobothnian Museum for the regular admission fee. For the same admission fee, visitors will also have the opportunity to explore the exhibitions currently on display at the museum.
The publication project presented at the event has been underway for many years, and the catalogue of Swedish coins in Mauritz Hallberg’s coin and medal collection has now been published. The 520-page work lists 3,396 coins, most of which are shown in photographs. The publication is the second volume of a three-part series: the first volume covered the collection’s medals, and the third, currently in preparation, will focus on coins from Russia and Finland. The collection comprises approximately 5,500 coins and around 900 medals, with Swedish coins making up more than half. The earliest coins date from the Viking Age, and the collection includes 35 coins minted in Turku, which were of particular significance to Hallberg.

The main catalogue section of the publication is primarily in Finnish, while the articles are in both Finnish and English. The publication includes, among other things, a comprehensive article by Yrjö Hyötyniemi, an extensive bibliography on Turku coins, and a concise glossary.

The publication project was launched in 2013 within the Helsinki Numismatic Society (dissolved in 2024) on the initiative of numismatist Hannu Sarkkinen. After the dissolution of the Helsinki Numismatic Society, the project has been continued by the Finnish Numismatic Society. Researcher Outi Järvinen and numismatists Yrjö Hyötyniemi and Hannu Männistö have been involved in the project in their expert roles. Järvinen has also served as the editor of the publications. Most of the coins were photographed by Hannu Sarkkinen.

Hallberg’s coin and medal collection is on display at the Ostrobothnian Museum, and the publication project also led to a revamp of the exhibition. Outi Järvinen designed the new display of the coins and medals and wrote the exhibition texts. The reorganised Coin Room was opened to the public in February 2025.

The event will be streamed live, and at the end there will be time for questions from the audience and discussion. Follow the event online at: https://www.youtube.com/@VaasanmuseotVasasmuseer