The word ‘numismatic’ refers to coins, medals and paper currency, and this museum will impress you in this respect.
Housed in a historic building from 1879 that was designed by German architect Ernst Ziller, the museum was once the house of Heinrich Schliemann, a world-renowned architect who unearthed many valuable finds in Greece.
The museum’s collection features 600,000 coins and related paraphernalia such as seals and medals, dating from the 6th century BC until the 5th century AD. Classical, Hellenistic, Roman, Byzantine, Medieval and Ottoman coins will give amateurs and professionals an intriguing glimpse of the past through these objects.
Different coin hoards found across Greece have contributed to the museum’s collection, including the notable hoard from the village of Myrina (in Karditsa, Thessaly, Central Greece) featuring 149 silver staters (ancient coins). The staters, which are almost 2,500 years old, were sealed in a pot and buried. The turtles and tortoises on the coin are fascinating.