Collections through Cake: Coin of Eion

Last week it was my (Lucy, Project Curator) turn to bake! I chose to return back to one of my absolute BEST FAVOURITE OBJECTS, one that I wrote a blog post about when I was a volunteer at the Discovery Centre a couple of years ago. You can read it here.

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The object in question is a tiny 12mm coin from a city called Eion. The coin is from our Baron Collection and is the only specimen we have. 

Eion was a town in western Thrace and was a trading post in 500 BC. Both Persian and Athenian traders used the port, so it was important that the currency used in Eion could work within the different monetary systems. These small coins fitted both Athenian and Persian weight and fineness standards, so could be used commercially not just in the city of Eion in Thrace, but across both the Athenian and Persian empires.

There are several reasons that I am so fond of this coin. One is that numismatics is my first museum love. The second is that this coin is just so small, so economically fascinating AND has a goose and salamander on it. 

To get the maximum punnage from the cake, I also made it GOOSEberry flavoured, but adding a layer of gooseberry jam to the middle, as well as some tinned gooseberries to the batter and buttercream. 

It was so delicious, I didn't even get to eat any ... Rule for next time: make two cakes!

Don't forget you can read more in my original post 'Keeping the Balance'.

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