Between September 2023 and March 2024, the National Bank of Romania and Alpha Bank organise the temporary exhibition “The two sides of the coin: means of exchange – masterpieces of art”. For half a year, visitors of the Museum of the National Bank of Romania will get the chance to admire some of the rarest and most valuable coins in the world, which are part of the Alpha Bank Numismatic Collection.

The concept of the exhibition proposes an imaginary trip into the world of ancient Greece and ancient Rome, through the stories depicted on each of the 100 coins on display. Visitors will discover not only the history of the coin but also its role in shaping the cultural identity of the ancient Greeks. On the two sides of a coin, gods and heroes, leaders and historical events, elements of nature and architectural monuments, even concepts and ideas have been showcased, all of which serving as a first-rate source for our understanding of the ancient Greco-Roman world.

For the first time in Romania, the general public will get the chance to admire a hekte, the first coin ever issued, made of electrum, a natural gold-silver alloy, struck in the kingdom of Lydia, in Asia Minor, between 630 and 600 BC. At the same time, the exhibition tracks the gradual expansion of coin usage in the regions where ancient Greeks exerted their influence. Additionally, the exhibition features coins issued by the cities of Histria and Callatis in the 5th and 4th centuries BC, with Histrian drachmas being the first coins minted on the current territory of Romania.

Last but not least, the exhibition also includes a section dedicated to the visually-impaired. In this section, 10 rare coins are displayed as oversized replicas, accompanied by descriptions transcribed in Braille alphabet.

The exhibition is open from 22 September 2023 until the beginning of March 2024 and can be visited on the free guided tours of the NBR Museum, which take place Mondays to Fridays, by prior appointment.