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The Numismatic Museum (Νομισματικό Μουσείο) in Athens, Greece, boasts one of the richest collections of coins in the world. It’s located in the Akadimia district a short walk from Syntagma Square.
History of the Numismatic Museum
The Numismatic Museum is one of the oldest museums in Greece, established in 1834. The initial 329 coins came from the country’s first archaeological museum, established in 1829 in Aegina. The collection was initially exhibited starting in 1843 in the University of Athens, sharing a room with the National Library. The museum formally became a branch of the National Library in 1867.
In 1890, the collection was transferred to the east wing of the Academy of Athens. It became an independent museum again in 1893 and remained as such until 1910. At that point, it was renamed the Numismatic Collection and became part of the Archaeological Department of the Ministry of Education. The collection remained at the Academy of Athens until 1940, when it moved to the Bank of Greece for protection during World War II.
In 1946, the Numismatic Collection reopened to the public at the National Archaeological Museum. It became independent once again in 1965, and the original title of Numismatic Museum returned in 1977. By the 1970s, the collection contained over 50,000 coins from excavations in Argos, Olympia, Corinth, Delphi, and other ancient cities.
In 1984, the Ministry of Culture granted the museum its current home, the Iliou Melathron. It moved in after a long restoration, opening the first floor to the public in 1998. Restoration of the second floor was completed in 2007.
Visiting the Numismatic Museum
The Numismatic Museum is open daily except Tuesdays. Give yourself at least an hour to properly see the collection. Admission is €6 (as of August 2023). A three-day special ticket package for 15€ (as of August 2023) is valid for the Numismatic Museum, National Archaeological Museum, Epigraphic Museum, and Byzantine Museum.
Iliou Melathron
The Iliou Melathron is the historic mansion that hosts the Numismatic Museum. It’s as much as an attraction as the museum itself.
History of the Iliou Melathron
The Iliou Melathron was built between 1878 and 1880 for German archaeologist Heinrich Schliemann (1822-1890), who discovered Troy and excavated Mycenae and Tiryns. It was designed by German architect Ernst Ziller (1837-1923) and considered to be the finest private residence in the city at the time. Schliemann opened the house with a luxurious reception on January 30, 1881.
After Schliemann died in 1890, the house passed to his wife, Sophia (1852-1932). In 1923, she added a structure to the southeast side of the mansion for more functional space. She sold the building to the Greek state in 1926.
The mansion was originally supposed to house the Museum of Fine Arts and the Numismatic Museum, but it instead became the Council of State in 1929. It served as the Areios Pagos (Supreme Court) from 1934 to 1980, and the Courts of Appeal from 1981 to 1983. The government then granted the Iliou Melathron to the Ministry of Culture to host the Numismatic Museum.
After a long restoration process, the first floor of the museum opened to the public in 1998. The entire collection, offices, and library moved in in 2003, and the second floor opened in 2007.
Architecture
The Iliou Melathron is a two-story building combing the Italian Renaissance and Neoclassical styles. All exterior metallic decorative elements were built with cast iron made in a factory in Piraeus. The building features air vents, gas heating, and fire protection methods such as the restricted use of timbers in doors and windows.
The first floor of the building was used mainly for social engagements. It included the Hesperides Room, which was used for receptions; a salon for literature evenings; a guest room; and a dining room.
The second floor contained the bedrooms, offices, and library. The ground floor included auxiliary rooms, rooms for service personnel, and a room to exhibit findings from excavations at Troy.
Decoration
The interior decorations reflect Schliemann’s passion for antiquity and self-promotion as a man of literature and art. Slovenian painter Jurij Šubic (1855-1890) painted the frescoes on the walls and ceilings. He worked for about a year.
The wall decorations were influenced by murals in the houses of Pompeii. There are also excerpts from ancient Greek literature, including the works of Homer, Hesiod, Pindar, and Lucian.
The mosaic floors were crafted by artisans from Italy. They depict finds from Schliemann’s excavations or themes associated with them. In addition, 24 clay copies of ancient Greek sculptures once lined the roof.
Gardens
The Iliou Melathron is surrounded by gardens on three sides. The gardens are decorated with clay copies of ancient Greek sculptures. A statue of an Amazon sits in the garden at the entrance to the mansion. In the back is a copy of Pouring Satyr by Praxiteles. On the southeast side is a copy of Meleager by Scopas.
The back garden contains native Greek species of flora, including pomegranate trees, apricot trees, peach trees, palms, acacias, and more. The garden now contains a café.
Collection of the Numismatic Museum
The Numismatic Museum boasts a collection of over 500,000 artifacts. Most are coins, but there are also medals, stamps, weights, lead seals, seal stones, and more. The collection ranges from the 14th century BC through modern times. There are also some items on loan from other museums.
The collection of the Numismatic Museum rivals those of the British Museum in London; the National Library in Paris; the Hermitage in St. Petersburg, Russia; the Bode Museum in Berlin; and the American Numismatic Society in New York.
Ancient Coins
The most important part of the collection is coins from the 6th century BC through the 5th century. They were minted by ancient Greek and Hellenistic city-states, kings, and rulers; the Roman Republic; and the Roman Empire and its provinces.
Byzantine and Medieval Coins
The collection of Byzantine and Medieval coins, dating from the 6th to 15th century, is made up of coins of the Byzantine Empire featuring all emperors and mints; coins of states and rulers of the Medieval West and East, including the Islamic world; and Western states of colonized Greece starting in the 13th century.
Modern Coins
The collection from the 15th to 20th century features coins from modern countries. Most of these coins circulated in Greece during this period. These include coins of the Ottoman Empire, European states and empires, and coins and banknotes of the modern Greek state.
Donations
A very important part of the collection comes from various donations to the Numismatic Museum. A room on the first floor is dedicated to these donations and the stories of their collectors.
