Exhibition of Shares of Montenegrin Banks, Monetary Institutes and Companies (1863-1946)

The exhibition entitled “Shares of Montenegrin Banks, Monetary Institutes and Companies” was organised in cooperation between the State Archives and the Central Bank of Montenegro.

The need to present a wider public with the activities, organisation, legislative framework, business operations, and contribution to the business life of joint stock companies, and above all banks, are mutually recognised, and this exhibition came as a result of this cooperation. It is understandable that this form of scientific and popular presentation cannot provide a complete cross-section of the activities of banks, savings banks and companies. Nevertheless, it gives a contemporary viewer plenty of documentary material. First of all, there are shares issued by banks, savings banks and companies, and they stand as illustrative documentary testimonies that are practically unknown to the general public, since there was no interest in them outside the circle of dedicatedscripophilists. In this context, this exhibition represents the first public presentation of this documentary material.

In addition to shares, the exhibition also presents documents showing the business operations of banks and savings banks in the period from their establishment until the termination of their work. Even though the backbone of the exhibition consists of shares and documents concerning banks, there are also materials from several (joint stock) companies. This was done because the banks were significant shareholders in those companies.

The selected material is mainly located in the State Archives in Cetinje, while a number of significant shares (of the National Bank of the Kingdom of Montenegro) is owned by the collector Mr Jovo Vuksanović who made them available to us for the purpose of organising the exhibition, and we would like to use this opportunity to show our deepest appreciation.