Héctor Carlos Janson, the numismatist who in 2017 donated the most important collection of national coins in Argentina to our museum, died yesterday in the province of Santa Fe. Honorary president for life of the Argentine Academy of Numismatics and Medals and author of the book “The Circulating Currency in the Argentine Territory”, Janson was the most important private collector in the country.
“It was the best decision I ever made in my life,” Janson said after giving up his collection, which he had gathered in more than 50 years of exhaustive work and study, to become part of the collective heritage. On May 30, 2017, the day of the Bank’s 76th anniversary, Janson signed the deed of donation of more than 2800 gold, silver and bronze pieces in a public ceremony where he was applauded by his family, friends and colleagues, and Bank authorities. In gratitude and recognition for the legacy of inestimable historical value that he contributed to the public cultural heritage, the Historical and Numismatic Museum was renamed “Héctor Carlos Janson”.
Among the more than 2800 coins in excellent condition that Janson had collected and cataloged in his home in Wheelwright, Santa Fe, the 2 gold escudo coin stands out, which became the most valuable piece that our Museum has. Minted in 1813 at the Potosí Mint by General Manuel Belgrano following orders from the Assembly of the year XIII, it has on one side the Patriotic Sun and the seal of the General Constituent Assembly on the other. There are only two copies of this first national coin, since it is estimated that the other gold pieces were melted down during the course of history. In addition, within his invaluable collection is the collection “Los tapados de Quiroga”, the Argentine 1/2 and gold Patacón of 1881, the coins of pretension that the self-proclaimed “King of Araucanía and Patagonia” had minted, and the coins fractioned into quarters that circulated during the War of the Triple Alliance in Paraguayan territory among other historical copies.
The “Héctor Carlos Janson” Museum and the pieces of its collection can be visited from Monday to Friday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. with free admission at San Martín 216, Autonomous City of Buenos Aires.
