The Numismatic Museum is one of the oldest state museums in Greece and was instituted in 1834. It is located in the heart of the historic center of Athens and is housed in Ilion Melathron, the mansion of archaeologist Erikos Sliman, work of the architect Ernst Ziller.
Its collection comprises more than 500.000 titles, mainy coins, lead seals, weights, medals and gems, dating back to the 14th century BC until today. The richest collections are those of ancient coins, dating back to the 6th century BC. until the 5th century AD. These are the coins of the city-states, of the kings and rulers of the ancient Greek and Hellenistic world, of the Roman Republic, the Roman emperors and the provinces of the Roman Empire. Equally important are the collections of Byzantine and Medieval coins, dating from the 6th to the 15th century. There are a large number of coins of the Byzantine Empire with representative cuts of all emperors and mints, cuts of states and rulers of the Medieval West and East, and publications of the Frankish states in Greece dated to the 13th century. The period from the 15th to the 20th century is covered by coins and currencies of most states of the modern world. Emphasis is placed on the coins that circulated in Greece during these centuries, such as coins of the Ottoman Empire, coins of European states and empires, as well as coins and banknotes of the Greek state.
At the same time, great emphasis is given to opening of the Museum to the cultural and social life of the city through lectures, events, activities and daily educational programs.
The Library
The Museum library contains about 12.000 volumes related to the disciplines of numismatics, history and archaeology, as well as a rich archive of documents. Furthermore the institution functions as a centre of study and research both for scholars and general public, hosting a variety of activities, such as publications and symposia, educational lectures and programmes, periodic and special exhibitions, international collaborations.
Opening hours:
Wednesday – Monday: 08:30 – 16:00
Tuesday closed
Closed on Holidays: January 1st, March 25th, May 1st, Easter Sunday, Christmas and Boxing Day
Tickets:
General Entrance: €6
Reduced admission: € 3
Special ticket package:
Full: 15 Euro,
Reduced: 8 Euro
(Valid for National Archaeological Museum, Byzantine & Christian Museum, Numismatic Museum and Epigraphic Museum)