Numismatic Museum of Athens

Athens

The Numismatic Museum is one of the oldest public museums in Greece, It was established in 1834.
The rooms are dedicated:
- The Iliou Melathron and Heinrich Schliemann collection
- The Great Donors of the Numismatic Museum
- Coinage in the Ancient Greek World (Origins and Spread - International and Common Coins - Iconography and Ideology)
- Coinage in the Roman World
- Coinage in the Byzantine World
- Coinage in the Western and Eastern Medieval World
- Coinage in the Modern and Contemporary World
- Coinage in the Modern Greek State
- The World of Medals
- Money and Society

Reviews

5/55/55/55/55/5 A gem!

By aristonazir on November 7, 2022

A great experience! Great collection of coins, especially ancient Greek and Byzantine.

5/55/55/55/55/5 Amazing collection

By galor on May 7, 2020

I've visited the museum in March 2020 and the collection available to the public is simply magnificent and offers a great variety of coins ! The museum presents different collections and treasures of various empires (Roman, Greek...). The architecture of the building (outside but especially the inside) is also gorgeous and the little cafe in the backyard is very comfortable.

5/55/55/55/55/5 Perfect

By ZaxariasP on April 3, 2020

Very rare coins in perfect condition. They also have a garden for coffee A paradise in the centre of Athens.

5/55/55/55/55/5 Τhe true history of the coins

By goldwill on April 23, 2019

Unique exhibits (such as the decadrachm of ancient Athens) and all that the foreign archaeologists and soldiers have not stolen ...

5/55/55/55/55/5 Fabulous

By pietr on March 26, 2019

In Greece, what would you expect of a Numismatic Museum?
It is what it is - great variety on coins.

5/55/55/55/55/5 Interesting and easy to visit, not to be missed

By simoneo80 on August 24, 2015

I visited this museum in August,arranged on two floors, you can find a nice variety of coins, Roman, Ptolemaic, Persian, Islamic, Ottomans and naturally Greek.
Retracing the steps of the first coinage until today.
They give you the opportunity to listen to a guide in English, no additional cost to the price of entry.

Reviews are sorted by date. They are not controlled by Numista. Only reviews posted less than 10 years ago are displayed.

Reviews from Google

See at Google: Numismatic Museum of Athens (1916 ratings: 4.5/5)

5/55/55/55/55/5

By Pong Lenis on February 2, 2024

This museum was a very nice place to visit. It has a vast collection, which is very well preserved and displayed. It has plenty of ancient artifacts, coins, mosaics, statues, monetary notes, and other works of art. I really enjoyed my time here and I would definitely recommend visiting the Numismatic Museum of Athens.

5/55/55/55/55/5

By Nikos Parastatidis on January 8, 2024

Small museum in a renovated historic building. The mostly thematic presentation of its various coin collections is informative, and you will need around an hour to go through the whole collection. The collection of Ancient Greek coins are worthy highlights but there are coins and artefacts from other cultures to see as well.

5/55/55/55/55/5

By Christina Matsaki on March 4, 2024

One of the three best numismatic museums in Europe with over 600,000 ancient coins; some so unique, that there may be only 1 in existence, and you will see it here. Over the three floors, you will come to study the coin, first created in Ancient Athens, the metallurgy, and through the metals used in coins, the secrets of ancient world trade and the original globalization. The expanse of trade between Greece, Europe, and Asia is mind boggling, and the details on the surface of the coins capture maps, animals, symbols, people, politicians, ancient city names and religious iconography - which all carry a meaning, like reading a book filled with secrets, hints, and archaeological details of the ancient past and the characters of the people. You also see nuances and differences between city states that do not have large distances between them, and yet, spiritually can be miles apart. You also learn to understand the denominations of coins into smaller values, which helps you also understand cost of living in those times, and the classification of society's strata.

The true wonder of this museum though is the architecture, a gem by Ziller who also built the Hotel Grande Bretagne at roughly the same time, and the two buildings which are across the street from each other are in a conversation of details for over 150 years now. The ironwork, the Hellenistic neoclassical and modernist features make the numismatic museum unique among other buildings of the period, and a perfect example of the wonder who was Ernst Ziller.

Finally, the most fascinating offering of this museum is learning about its original owner who commissioned the work from Ziller, none other than Heinrich Schliemann, the
German businessman and amateur archaeologist who discovered Ancient Troy, Argos and Mycenae. A man who through his extensive reading of the Iliad and the Odyssey added over 600 years of history to the Greek Ancient world. The visitor walking through these walls, and experiencing Hienrich's personal collection, makes you feel closer to Homer and also to Hienrich... A treasure hunt which continues to this day.

Do not miss this! Especially, if you will also be visiting the Ancient Agora where actual trade was taking place with these very coins.

5/55/55/55/55/5

By Kenny Jones Jr on September 1, 2023

Very relaxing museum experience. I definitely recommend visiting if you want to go out into Athens to explore but are tired from traveling or would like a more laid-back experience. Also recommend visiting if you are interested in coins or numismatics. Very welcoming.

5/55/55/55/55/5

By E. Chen on May 16, 2023

Great museum especially interesting for being the former residence of Heinrich Schliemann: important figure in modern archeology. There are multiple rooms full of mostly coins from ancient Greece. There are two floors and is relatively quick to visit. The museum also has a nice cafe in an indoor courtyard.