The Coins from the Former Collection of Ignacy Terlecki in the Collection of the National Museum in Krakow
The Coins from the Former Collection of Ignacy Terlecki in the Collection of the National Museum in Krakow

Summary/Abstract: The collection of ancient coins from the northern coast of the Black Sea created by Ignacy Terlecki (1860–1916) in Kerch, Crimea, in the years 1902–1914(?) was one of the most significant collections of this type at the time. Apart from ancient coins, it also comprised Polish coins and medals, Russian coins, ancient works of art, and perhaps some other unidentified artefacts. To date, the collection has not been reconstructed in its entirety. Also missing are many details concerning the collection both in the original owner’s lifetime and after his death in 1916. Following the year 1919, thanks to the efforts of the owner’s widow, Mrs Maria Terlecka, the major part of these ancient coins from the northern coast of the Black Sea was acquired by the National Museum in Warsaw, while the Polish gold coins went to the National Bank of Poland, and the collection of the Russian silver coinage was sold off by weight. It is also known that Ignacy Terlecki sold a certain amount of ancient coins from his collection even before the First World War through the agency of the antiquarian firm operated by the Egger Brothers (Egger Brüder), subsequently creating a new collection. In 1908, the National Museum in Krakow came into possession of one ancient coin from Terlecki’s collection and some other ancient artefacts. It is possible that Terlecki also sold a small group of ancient coins to the National Museum in Krakow in 1909. The museum acquired a more sizable portion of coins from the former collection of Ignacy Terlecki (eighty-four pieces) thanks to a donation made by Lech Kokociński. The present article aims to throw more light on the ancient coins from the former collection of Ignacy Terlecki, as previously and currently owned by the National Museum in Krakow.

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