A Compendium Of Numismatic Displays In Museums Around The World (Evergreen)

Travel seems to be opening up a smidge and so I've got an update for this thread and the "coins in art" thread. I'm hoping others will be venturing out (and posting here) too!

I recently visited the Tampa (FL) Museum of Art and immediately found "The Classical World" Exhibit. There are items from ancient Greece, Etruria, and Rome, including a somewhat sizeable group of vases. For the numismatist, there were four coins on display, including a Syracuse Decadrachm (412 BC), a pair of Athenian Tets (5th Century BC), and a Lucanian Stater (335-350 BC). Here are my pics of these items, along with an Owl from my own collection for comparison:

Syracuse Decadrachm


Athens Tetradrachm



Lucanian Stater



Athens Tet from my collection:

Fantastic!

Good input @numised--thanks!

Speaking of small museums, I was a bit underwhelmed by the the Museo Filatelico e Numismatico (Museum of stamp and coin collecting) at the Vatican Museums. Based on the quality of sculpture, paintings, and fresco in the earlier sections and considering the length of time that there has been a pope, I was expecting a pretty comprehensive viewing of papal state coins. Instead, this museum is basically the hallway on your way out. More than half is devoted to stamp collecting, and most of the remaining portion is focused on the modern day proofs. Non-flash photography is permitted and all the signs are in Italian, with occasional English translations.

There was one Byzantine medal plus a few coins of the 18th and 19th Centuries. With that said, one aspect that I really liked was the inclusion of the full size plaster/bronze models from which some master dies to strike coins were made.

6th Century Byzantine medal of Constantinianus:



18th Century Papal State Baiocco:


19th Century Papal State Lira:


Modern day plaster model and resulting coin:



Modern day bronze model and resulting coin:



2014 Vatican Proof set:

Fascinating!

They don't. The coins of the Vatican are minted at:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Istit..._dello_Stato

I've got a bit of a backlog of museums to work through and will start with the Hermitage Museum of The Bahamas in Nassau. Clearly most folks are visiting The Bahamas for the food and watersports, but numismatists shouldn't forget about this small museum on West Hill Street. The entrance fee is only a few bucks and picture taking without a flash is permitted.

There are a series of rooms, each with its own subject, but the field of numismatics is wound through several of them. For example, a couple recoveries from Potter's Quay Harbor are shown: English Pennies issued by George II. I've got a Half Penny from this same reign dated 1730 and mine is in much the same condition!

There are several merchant's tokens relevant to The Bahamas, and merchant's lead seals, but what was most interesting to me was the lengthy exhibit on slavery and the abolitionist movement. I've got pictures of a Slave Dealer's Tag issued by a slaver with the last name Davies, a slabbed Civil War Token with an abolitionist theme, an English Commemorative medallion celebrating various laws including one from 1808 banning the importation of slaves, and an iconic token issued by the Society for the Abolition of Slavery, "designed to increase awareness amongst the general public of the ill nature of the slavery business." Lastly, I've included a picture of a defaced coin dated 1807 and calling to "Free the Slaves".

English Penny found at Potters Quay Harbor


English Half Penny dated 1730 AD from @Spence's collection



Davies Slave Dealer Tag


Civil War Token with an abolitionist theme


English Commemorative medallion


Society for the Abolition of Slavery token


"Free the Slaves" Defaced English Coin

Few people visiting Notre Dame in Paris probably realize that beneath the plaza is an archaeological site you can visit, the Archaeological Crypt of the Île de la Cite, or that there's an extensive display of coins corresponding to the various eras associated with the island the cathedral sits upon. There's a sign in the corner of the plaza and a nondescript stairway leading down.

The rather extensive ruins are lined with displays of coins, mostly gold, associated with a particular period documented in the ruins behind you.

I wish I knew more about ancients.

The displays appeared to be very informative. Unfortunately for me, all in French.

I have more images of various coins but you get the idea. Our visit was in 2018, before the tragic fire. Beneath the hundreds (thousands?) of people visiting the cathedral, there were perhaps a dozen people visiting the Crypt. Well worth looking for if you're into archaeology and the sites where these coins were found.