74 this history for many years. The items - some of which date back to 1858 - began to be gathered by bankers interested in preserving only documents at first. Continuity came naturally. It all started in the 1950s, in Banco da Província, the oldest bank in the state of Rio Grande do Sul. In 1965, the financial institution created the Museum of Numismatics, which still preserves in its current historical collection testimonies such as its founding minute and a book of contributors. In the Museum, a collection of numismatics, exonumia, scripophily and notaphily was put together. Then, other documents were added after the merger of the National Bank of Commerce - which occupied the building that now houses Santander Cultural - and the Southern Industrial and Commercial Bank. But above all, this history was built by people: the importance that employees gave to the collection is remarkable. Contributions were many, and the care they treated each piece with shows this - some created memory boxes to be donated and thus perpetuate their own history. At that time, it was common for people to spend their whole lives with the same institution, and it was not uncommon to find employees whose parents and grandparents had also worked for the same bank. In the past one would type (on a typewriter), whereas today they will type (on a keyboard). Yesterday, substantial amounts were paid in paper; today, plastic is used. Some time ago, hours were counted by a clock; now, time controllers are everywhere. Time which is spent, felt and lived. Time that is preserved with memory, narrated by the exhibitions, and shared with the community. NUMISMATIC COLLECTION OF SANTANDER CULTURAL - GOLD, SILVER, AND OTHER METALS Within the collections in the historical collection of Santander Cultural, numismatic is the star: it is the largest in quantity and diversity. Today, there are more 22 thousand coins . Since 1965, this number has been growing thanks to donations made by employees and visitors. Coins tell many stories. They often depict the main ruler of a country, the wealth of fauna and flora, natural beauties, or the main sectors of the economy of the region. In the historical collection of Santander Cultural are pieces of gold, silver, copper, bronze, stainless steel, aluminum, nickel, and metal alloys: bronze-aluminum and cupro-nickel. Among the main jewels of the collection are an Egyptian coin, dating back between the years 283 and 285 AD and the famous Papo de Tucano (Toucan’s pouch), a gold piece that portrays Dom Pedro II. The greatest beauty of the numismatic collection, however, lies in its diversity and its importance. The collection is of extreme regional relevance and one of the most complete open to public visitation. At Santander Cultural, many young people got to know the variety of monetary systems in Brazil, from réis to real, through cruzados and cruzeiros. There, they expanded their horizons and got to know part of world history. This is indeed one of the roles played by our collection: to preserve memory and take the beauty of art and history to new generations, always perpetuating knowledge. ANATOMY OF A COIN Besides heads or tails, each part of the coin is given a specific name. Following are the corresponding terms, which we will use henceforth. Obverse: there is controversy, but the obverse is considered the main side of the coin, generally the one that shows the effigy of some important figure. In that famous game, it would be the head of the coin. Reverse: face contrary to the obverse, where the value is normally found - it would be the tail. Field: the entire surface of the coin. Exergue: is the lower space of the currency field. It is common to show the date or place of minting - or, as in some older pieces, the mint mark. Rim and border: the rim circles the field and is higher than the rest of the surface. The border is between the rim and the edge of the coin. In addition to decorating the piece, they also serve to prevent the minting from wear. Edge: also called a reed or border, is the edge of the coin. There are many types of edges, but the most common ones are reeded or plain. Legend: inscriptions on the field of the coin. Indicative inscription of era: inscription of the year of manufacture of the coin. Indicative inscription of value: shows the value of the coin. Indicative inscription of the issuer: shows the name of the country or body responsible for the cash in circulation.