Numismatic Museum
in November of 1955, Mario Odor, the nation's
famous coin collector, was digging in his garden on his 36th
birthday, when he discovered two old coins; one a 1790 penny and
the other a 1788 half penny, called tradesmen copper Irish
tokens. To Mario, it would be a sign that he was in the right
profession and that collecting coins for posterity would become
his duty; so he began teaching his family members the traditions
of coin collecting. Now, his widow, son, daughter and
granddaughters are following in his legacy at the fabulous
Numismatic Museum in Oranjestad, Aruba, where you might meet one
of them as they guide you through the marvelous collections. The
museum would be started in 1975 to preserve his collections, and
one of the best exhibits includes "Collection Timeline" that
showcases the coins that had been circulated during the history
of the island, since it had been the location of traders,
merchants, colonists and pirates that traveled the Caribbean Sea
looking for opportunities to plunder. Mario would continue his
collecting for more than sixty years of his life. Today, his
son, Ruben Odor and granddaughter, Desiree Croes, who are both
numismatists would raise his collections to a loftier level and
open the island's first numismatics museum. It is also the first
museum of its kind in the island and still houses the fabulous
collection of Mario Odor.
|
