Report of the 30th ICOMON Annual Conference in Stockholm

Wednesday 25th September

The first day started with the majority of speakers and attendees gathering in the city center for a tour at the Royal Palace. This fascinating tour was followed by a private dinner at the Royal Armoury, during which welcoming words were offered by The Economy Museum director, Dr. Cecilia von Heijne, and attendees had the opportunity to catch-up with long-time friends and colleagues alike.

Thursday 26th September

The conference started on Thursday, with opening remarks and words first offered by former ICOMON chair, and current INC president, Dr. Ute Wartenberg. She was followed by now-chair of ICOMON, Dr. Asma Ibrahim. Welcomes were subsequently delivered by ICOM Sweden chair, Helene Rånlund, and a video from Emma Nardi, ICOM President. The two paper panels of the day were on: Collection Digitization and Digital Typology, and Collaborative Education. A visit to the recently opened exhibition space of the Economy Museum split the day’s papers. A book release celebration capped the afternoon. In the evening, a private reception was held for ICOMON at the Stockholm City Hall, where attendees had the opportunity to tour the world-famous building in which the Noble Prize banquet is held.

Dr. Asma Ibrahim, Chair of ICOMON, thanking the City of Stockholm for hosting.

Friday 27th September

On the second day of presentations, four panels were held on: Coin Finds, Safeguarding Collections, and Collaborations, and (Digital) Exhibition education. Closing remarks were offered by Fleur Kemmers, where a preview to the 2027 International Numismatic Congress conference in Frankfurt was offered. Cecilia von Heijne then said some farewell words from the museum to all the participants. In the evening the attendees received a private tour of the Vasa ship museum before having dinner at the museum, after hours.

The Vasa ship in its impressive museum.

Saturday 28th September

The final day of the conference gathering was devoted to a full day of a cultural excursion outside Stockholm. The first stop was the Tumba Papermill Museum. Tumba Bruk is not only a paper mill but also a unique cultural environment with a fascinating history dating back to 1755. The Swedish Central Bank established Tumba Bruk to combat counterfeiting in the 18th century. The site is still in operation today to produce paper for notes made by Crane AB, who issued bank notes for over 60 countries today. The next site was the Gamla Uppsala Museum where three monumental royal burial mounds in have fascinated people for centuries. They are traditionally considered burial monuments for Swedish kings from the 6th century AD, and during the Iron Age, Gamla Uppsala became a religious center. In the mid-to-late afternoon, Uppsala, Gustavianum was visited. Gustavianum was built in 1622 and was the main university building until 1887. It housed lecture halls, libraries, and student residences. Since 1997, Gustavianum has been a university museum. It also hosts Uppsala University’s coin cabinet, containing a collection with roots in 18th-century, for which a new coin gallery was opened June 2024. Then, across the street, the group paid a visit to Uppsala Cathedral, the largest church in the Nordic region and the seat of the Archbishop of Sweden. The oldest parts of the Cathedral date back to the 13th century, and until 1719, it was used for the coronation of Swedish kings and queens.

An example of the new coin cases at Uppsala University’s museum.

The ICOMON board expresses its gratitude to The Economy Museum – Royal Coin Cabinet in Stockholm, and the Swedish Numismatic Society and the Gunnar Ekström Foundation for Numismatics for making the conference possible. A special thanks is owed to Dr. Cecilia von Heijne and the staff at the Museum for creating such a memorable conference and experience.