Collection of Chernihiv volunteer Valentyn Ivanets

24 November 2023 , in Chernihiv Historical Museum named after VV. Tarnovsky opened an exhibition in memory of the famous Chernihiv collector, philanthropist and volunteer Valentin Afanasiyovych Ivanets (1947–2022).

Only a part of the collection of Valentyn Ivanets got to the exhibition - 546 items. In particular, archeology, numismatics, phyllobutonistics, сфрагістика, badges and buckles collection. The largest phyllobutonistic and archaeological collections, therefore, a significant part of the exhibits at the exhibition are from these collections - 217 buttons and 168 archaeological objects.

At the exhibition you can see household buttons from ancient Russian times to the 20th century. The collection contains a large number of uniform buttons of civil and military departments of the 19th century. Interesting uniform buttons of the military of foreign countries. Uniform buttons of representatives of the local government of Chernihiv and other provinces are on display.

The archaeological collection includes exhibits from the Bronze Age to the late Middle Ages. You can see Scythian and ancient Russian jewelry. Not only household items are represented, and her subjects, which characterize the spiritual culture of ancient Russia. The Scandinavian fibula of the 10th–12th centuries is of interest., decorated with fantastic animals.

The collection contains a large number of weapons - axes, bronze age spear point and dagger, arrowhead of the Scythian era, as well as ancient Russian arrowheads of various types. A rare buterol of the 10th century attracts attention.

The numismatic collection is of particular value, which is presented at the exhibition, that counts 69 монет. The oldest coins in the collection: Olvian dolphins are dated VI-IV centuries. до н. е. A unique exhibit of the exhibition is a fragment of a silver coin belonging to Prince Volodymyr Svyatoslavovych of Kyiv at the end of the 10th century.

Quite an interesting sphragistic collection, in which they are stored 9 hanging seals of the 13th–14th centuries. and several tens of matrices–seals of the 13th–20th centuries. Among them, the seal is impressive (XIII-XIV centuries.) with a princely sign in the form of a bicuspid.

Valentin Ivanets headed the Chernihiv Club "Collector" for many years, which was organized 1978 year. He has repeatedly created exhibitions of his collections for residents of Chernihiv and guests of the city.

His charity work is connected with collecting. After visiting the branch of the Chernihiv Historical Museum named after V. V. Tarnovsky "Lyzogub Family Manor", he presented the museum with a silver salt shaker, found in Sednev during excavations in the 80s of the last century and items from philocards and philately.

For the restored church in the village of Konyatyn, Sosnytsky district, he handed over fragments of the iconostasis from the same church, which was destroyed by the authorities in the 1930s. 2020 Mr. Valentyn presented two unique icons of the 18th century to Catherine's Church in Chernihiv. - Mother of God and St. Nicholas, which for five generations were handed down by descendants on the line of his wife Valentina.

For the tireless work to revive the spirituality of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Kyiv Patriarchate in 2020 awarded him with the medal "For Sacrifice and Love of Ukraine" and the orders of St. George the Victorious and St. Michael the Archstrategist.

Valentyn Ivanets was also involved in volunteer activities, which he started in 2014 year, when he was taking humanitarian aid to the East to the armed forces of the Ukrainian Armed Forces with the ministers of the church. During the siege of Chernigov by the Russian invaders in February-March 2022 year, terminally ill Valentin Afanasiyovych, together with his older brother Anatoly and neighbors, collected food packages and prepared food for the defenders of Chernigov, who were at checkpoints. Despite the shelling, all this was delivered by Ivanets' own car.

During his lifetime, Valentin Afanasiyovych Ivanets made a will, in which it was stated, that the entire collection is donated to the Chernihiv Historical Museum named after V. V. Tarnovsky.

At the opening of the exhibition, the deputy director of the museum, Serhii Laevsky, spoke about the details of the transfer of the collection to the museum.

Many collectors from Chernihiv visited the event. Valentin Ivantsia's brothers, Anatoly and Volodymyr, were invited, who mentioned, what an interesting personality their brother was. Yury Fedorenko, the head of the "Collector" club, shared his memories of Valentin Afanasiyovych. Zinaida Petkova, head of the museum department, introduced the history of the exhibition. During the opening, collectors Volodymyr Rudenok and Oleksiy Yemets commented on part of the content of the collection.

Consultations in the creation of the exhibition were provided by Lyudmila Sita museum staff, Igor Sity, members of the "Collector" club, well-known Chernihiv archaeologists Yuriy Sitii and Ihor Ignatenko.

The curators of the exhibition are Valentina Lutska and Zinaida Petkova, heads of departments