Numismatics

The Russian Museum’s numismatic collection comprises more than 70,000 objects, including coins, orders, medals, badges, seals, wax impressions, banknotes and securities. Numismatic material began to be collected in the museum’s earliest years, initially within the department dedicated to the memory of Emperor Alexander III.

One of the most important early additions was the collection of Russian coins and medals assembled by Grand Duke George Mikhailovich and transferred to the museum in 1909. After this collection was lost during the evacuation of museum holdings in the First World War, the numismatic collection had to be rebuilt almost from scratch. In the post-revolutionary period, its foundations were formed by part of Count Ivan Tolstoy’s collection and by nationalised private collections. A separate numismatic department was established in the 1930s and subsequently expanded through acquisitions from Goznak, the Mint, other museums and private collections.