Old Treasures

Newly Discovered

Highlights from the vault

The Coin Collection presents never-before-seen pieces from its vault. Discover the oldest coin of the Greeks, the earliest portraits on coins and the unique crystal seal of the Bohemian Winter King.

Highlights from the Vault

People often ask: “What else is hiding in the vault?”. Our collection has grown over the centuries and is so extensive that we can only show a fraction of it in our permanent exhibition. A selection of objects, whose history we tell, show highlights made of gold, silver, ivory, precious stones or sometimes even paper. There are topics familiar to our visitors, such as the coins and medals of the Wittelsbach dynasty, but we also show less known items, such as Byzantine or Ottoman coins. Let us surprise you!

Arsinoë II.

This coin with the portrait of the Egyptian queen Arsinoë II Philadelphos is made of pure gold. Her husband and brother Ptolemy II minted the coin after her death in 253 BC. She is depicted with the attributes of various goddesses: The stephane (crown) is a sign of Hera or Aphrodite, the sceptre and veil identify her as a married queen.

This role of women on coins is completely new!

Egypt

A sphinx lies in front of a column –- does this masterful cameo come from Egypt? After Augustus’' victory over Cleopatra in 31 BC, an ‘Egyptomania’ set in among the Roman upper class. Even as a fragments, the stone loses none of hisits charm. However, it is a Roman work and shows what fascinated the Romans about the ‘exotic’ Egyptian culture.

Frederick V of the Palatinate

This seal stamp (typar) is a unique treasure. It belonged to Frederick V, Elector Palatine, who was King of Bohemia as Frederick I in 1619/20. The design of the rock crystal goes back to a medal. The king was able to press it into wax and use it to seal letters, for example. Together with the Wittelsbachs’' Palatinate collections, it came to Munich at the end of the 18th century.

Schiffsmünze

When the Spanish and Portuguese conquerors came to South America, they were looking for gold and mainly found silver. They had unimaginable quantities of metal extracted by slaves in mines and minted into trade coins. This wealth reached Europe by sea and from there flooded the whole world. This coin comes from the wreck of the São José, which sank off Mozambique in 1622 on its way from Portugal to India. It would have been used to buy spices, silk or porcelain.

Previous Exhibitions

Discover fascinating subjects relating to money, coins and medals.

 
Exhibition | Archive
HAND GREAT ART

HAND GREAT ART

March 9, 2021 to January 9, 2022

150 artists presented their latest works. With 240 works, the overall exhibition demonstrated the full spectrum of contemporary German medals covering a rich range of topics from portraits to the ancient world, religion, animals, war and money right through to politics and the environment.

A book has been published to accompany the exhibition.

Lustrous Propaganda

Lustrous Propaganda

May 4, 2020 to January 21, 2021

The annual medals that have been issued by the Holy See on June 29 every year since 1605 speak as a historic repository and an aesthetic work of art. The exhibition was meant to be opened on May 4, 2020, by minister of state Bernd Sibler, but this had to be cancelled due to Corona. However, he caught up on the visit very soon afterwards.

A book has been published to accompany the exhibition.

Die Silberne Stadt. Rom im Spiegel seiner Medaillen (Kopie)

The Silver City.
Rome Reflected in its Medals

July 25, 2019 to April 27, 2020

The exceptional medals of the popes, cardinals and artists allow us to follow the development of Rome from the 15th century into the 17th century. The exhibition illustrated this using a selection of 200 items juxtaposed with historical city plans and collection pieces.

A book has been published to accompany the exhibition.

Geprägte Bilderwelten der Romanik. Münzkunst und Währungsräume zwischen Brixen und Prag (Kopie)

Coined Imagery of Romanesque Art.
Coin Art and Currency Zones between Brixen and Prague

April 20, 2018 to March 24, 2019

The exhibition of medieval coins took place in collaboration with the Coin Collection of the Museum of Fine Arts in Vienna and the Bolzano Castles Foundation (“Stiftung Bozner Schlösser”). It examined the art and the messages of the coin designs. The exhibition was also shown in Runkelstein Castle in South Tirol.

A book has been published to accompany the exhibition.

Luther imagines 175. (Kopie)

Luther imagines 17

July 5, 2017 to April 1, 2018

The Protestant medals reflect how the image of Luther has changed over the past 500 years. What do Luther, the theses and the Reformation mean to us today? The exhibition was opened on July 4, 2017, by minister of state Ludwig Spaenle. HRH Duke Franz visited it on July 10, 2017.

A book has been published to accompany the exhibition.

Seitz (Kopie)

Great Art in a Small Stone.
Gems by Martin Seitz

March 30, 2017 to June 25, 2017

Martin Seitz (1895–1988) from Passau was one of the few who in the 20th century still dedicated themselves to gemstone carving. Although self-taught, he took the art to new heights that have never been achieved since.

A book has been published to accompany the exhibition.

Portraits (Kopie)

Portraits.
500 Years of Roman Coin Portraits

March 30, 2017 to June 25, 2017

The exhibition presented the development of imperial portraiture on Roman coins from the late Republican period up until the end of the Roman Empire.

Europas Verderben (Kopie)

The Devastation of Europe 1914 - 1918

May 12, 2016 to March 26, 2017

A wealth of medals from Germany and Austria illustrates the nationalistic enthusiasm for war, but also the horror of the First World War. 431 medals were exhibited, arranged according to 24 subject areas.

A book has been published to accompany the exhibition.

Die doppelte Mark (Kopie)

The Double Mark.
Coinage from two German states

December 5, 2015 to April 24, 2016

The exhibition presented the history of the German Mark, from its introduction following the foundation of the German Reich in 1871 up to its demise with the introduction of the Euro in 1999/2002.

Natur-Zufall-Kunst (Kopie)

Nature - Chance - Art

October 10, 2014 to May 3, 2015

For sculptor and medallist Friedrich Brenner, who was born in 1939, nature is one of the prime concerns of his art. The exhibition displayed a cross-section of his medal and plaquette works.

100 Köpfe (Kopie)

100 Heads

May 15, 2014 to October 5, 2014

For Hubertus von Pilgrim (* 1931), humanistic and literary culture is the basis of his art. In historical and spiritual personages, he found “dialogue partners” and an artistic challenge. This developed into an impressive portrait gallery on medals and in plastic art.

Wettstreit in Erz (Kopie)

Contest in Ore.
Portrait Medals from the German Renaissance

November 22, 2013 to March 15, 2014 

German medals from the Renaissance and related portrait media were united for the first time ever in a joint exhibition project of the Coin Collection of the Vienna Museum of Fine Arts, the Dresden State Art Collections and the Munich State Coin Collection.

A book has been published to accompany the exhibition.

Konstantin 312 (Kopie)

Constantine 312

October 31, 2012 to September 30, 2013

We quite rightly speak of the Constantinian shift in the year 312 AD. However, at first Constantine arguably saw in Christ just another manifestation of the Roman sun god, as also the coins suggest. The exhibition was opened on October 31, 2012, by Cardinal Reinhard Marx.

A book has been published to accompany the exhibition.