Economy Museum – Royal Coin Cabinet

Economy Museum – Royal Coin Cabinet is the national museum of economy with a special interest in history of money, history of finance, economic and social history and the art of medals. It is one of Sweden’s oldest museums, with collections dating back to the 1570s. Commissioned by King John III, old coins were collected to substantiate Sweden’s right to the three crowns in the national coat of arms. The three crowns were engraved on Swedish coins already in the 14th c. The oldest inventory was drawn up in 1630, when the collection contained only 57 coins and medals.

The collections consist of 650.000 objects from around the world, representing all ages. The largest and most important part of the collection is comprised of coins, but there are also other means of payment, e.g. paper money, ethnographical money and share certifications. Another essential part is medals.

Throughout the years, the collections have multiplied in the form of donations, purchases and by redemption of excavated coin treasures. An important acquisition was made in 1974, when the collections of the Bank Museum were purchased. These included examples of older share certificates and bank documents, enabling exhibitions with financial historical contents.