Honderdvijftigjarig bestaan van de Kamer van Koophandel en Fabrieken te Amsterdam 1961

This medallion, commemorating the 150th anniversary of the Amsterdam Chamber of Commerce, was made in 1961 by the Koninklijke Utrechtsche Fabriek van Zilverwerken van C.J. Begeer, presumably from bronze. The design is so interesting. The coin itself has a beautiful patina, a lived-in feel that speaks to the passage of time. On one side are two strangely proportioned figures, rendered in relief. Their limbs are elongated and almost insect-like, while a small pyramid sits between them. They seem to be either greeting or in confrontation, it's hard to tell and I like that. I wonder what tool they used to cut that pyramid shape into the surface. On the reverse is a portrait of Mercury, the god of commerce, with his winged helmet. The overall effect isn't one of bombast, but quiet contemplation. Art isn’t about answers, but about opening up space for questions. Like some of the surreal shapes in a Joan Miró painting, this coin invites us to interpret its meaning, to see it as an artifact of a particular time, or to find in it something timeless and universal.