6 numismatic destinations to go on vacation
Summer! Time to plan and fantasize with that dream holidays. Our wishing list of places we would like to visit is pretty long. Here we’d like to share with you some of the destinations any numismatics and history lover would like to go.
To make a list with the best numismatics museum around the world is an impossible mission and too ambitious as there are too many aspects to consider: there are specialized money museums, there are others no so specific but with a pretty good numismatics collection among many others (history, arts… ) and there are amazing collections in small exhibitions or even in private locations.
Considering all that, trying to unify criteria it’s too hard and we wouldn’t like to place quality before of quantity or antiquity before rarity or conservation.
Good news or this hobby is that almost every history or art museum has a space dedicated to coins and banknotes. However, if we could choose, there are a few ‘numismatics giants places’ around the world:
Museo Casa de la Moneda (Madrid)
This museum, world famous thanks to Netflix series Money Heist, it is highly rated by visitors from everywhere. You will be taken on a journey through the history money and diverse production methods from its very origins. Its rooms feature displays of major collection from numismatics and philately to banknotes and other means of payment, lottery and gaming that will delight history lovers but also beginners. There are activities for all the family so don’t forget to check the agenda while you are in the Spanish capital. Entrance is free!
Real Casa de la Moneda (Segovia)
Once you are in Madrid, don’t miss this arquitectonic jewel of XVI century one hour from the capital. 200 years before industrial revolution, the king Felipe II would mint with a quicker and more accurate technique, becoming the first mechanized royal mint in Spain. The pharaonic restoration of this factory designed by Juan Herrera really worth a visit. Furthermore it is located in a privileged place, at the foot of the Alcázar (castle) of the city. Whether or not you are a fervent collector, you will have plenty of reasons to visit this magical city.
Smithsonian Museum of American History (Whasington DC)
This giant can brag of having the biggest numismatic collection of the world: over one and a half million of pieces of all continents along 3 millennia. The collection has grown from a few thousand objects in the mid-19th century to its present size through donations from public institutions and private collections. If travelling to the American capital is out of your hands, you can always dive into its fantastic online collection of digitized items that grow every day. Your time will fly!
British Museum (London)
Apart of the numismatics exhibition, we are sure there are many more you will be interested of this big one of the British capital. Moneywise, British Museum shows human history from VII century till today. It not only has 800.000 numismatic objects form all the world, but medals, first banknotes, special editions… Temporal and permanent exhibitions to get lost without looking the time
National Museum of Scotland (Edinburgh)
In the same isle but quite further north, we find this museum that illustrate Scottish history through its currency. In the different mints we can see the different phases its society (with a fascinating history behind it) has been through, conquest, advances… Also they keep interesting pieces from the Viking Age, among many other interesting things.
Frankfurt Historic Museum
Numismatic collection is one of the 15 permanent exhibitions of the German museum. Since the Greco-Roman Empire to the Euro. The collection was started in 1749, Goethe’s birth year, with the legacy of more than 3000 coins Greek and Romans to the city. Today there are more than 150 thousand pieces, representing almost every coin mint in the city, among other of the rest of the country.
What other numismatic museums would you recommend us?
