The Museum possesses one of the largest numismatic collections in the world. The collections include approximately 1.6 million objects, comprising more than 450,000 coins, medals, and decorations and 1.1 million pieces of paper money.
Among the many great rarities here are some of the world’s oldest coins, created 2,700 years ago. But the collection also includes the latest innovations in electronic monetary exchange, as well as beads, wampum, and other commodities once used as money. A special strength lies in artifacts that illustrate the development of money and medals in the United States. The American section includes many rare and significant coins, such as two of three known examples of the world's most valuable coin, the 1933 double eagle $20 gold piece. |
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Selected Objects |
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$1.00 from The Dayton Bank
Mr. Dayton is known to history solely by the currency he had printed for his bank, and it is not known whether the bank ever opened its doors. But it ...
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$100,000 U.S. Gold Certificate
During the early 1930s, the United States and the rest of the industrialized world experienced an economic depression. In 1934, the United States continued its movement toward removing its currency ...
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Massachusetts, 20 Shillings, 1690
Called upon by the British government to help fight the French in Canada in 1689, Massachusetts authorities were hard-put to comply, because official money was unavailable. The Hull/Sanderson mint, which ...
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25 Daler Bank Note
This 1666 private bank note is among the earliest paper currency items issued in the Western European tradition. The numerous signatures and seal represent the Bank of Stockholm in Sweden. ...
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Diner's Club Credit Card
Diner's Club was one of the earliest issuers of credit cards beginning in 1950. The convenience and security they came to represent transformed payment methods and later blossomed into one ...
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Five Dollar Half Eagle Gold Coin
The half eagle, or $5 coin, was the first gold coin actually struck for the United States. The $5 gold piece was authorized by the Act of April 2, 1792, ...
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Gold Nugget
This small piece of yellow metal is believed to be the first piece of gold discovered in 1848 at Sutter's Mill in California, launching the gold rush.
John Marshall ...
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Medal of Benjamin Pike Jr
Benjamin Pike Jr. (1809–1864), an instrument maker and dealer who had recently opened a shop at 294 Broadway, won this silver medal at the American Institute Fair held in New ...
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Nobel Prize Medal in Chemistry for Edwin McMillan
Edwin McMillan shared the 1951 Nobel Prize in Chemistry with Glenn Seaborg. McMillan discovered element 93, or neptunium, in 1940 while working on the world's largest cyclotron at the Lawrence ...
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Souvenir of the Opening of the East River Bridge, May 24, 1883
By the late 19th century, the United States had established itself as a world leader in the area of civil engineering. Perhaps no project better symbolized America's technical prowess than ...
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U.S. Civil War Colored Troops Medal
During the American Civil War, Gen. Benjamin F. Butler so appreciated the heroic actions of African American soldiers under his command at the 1864 battles of Fort Harrison and Fort ...
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