Royal Coin Cabinet

The Royal Coin Cabinet - the Swedish National Museum of Economy - is a modern museum with a long history. The oldest parts of the collection date back to King Johan III's government in the 16th century, since when kings, queens, noblemen, scholars and ordinary folk have contributed to the growth of the collection, which now contains around 550,000 objects.

Royal Coin Cabinet. Photo: Gabriel Hildebrand, Royal Coin Cabinet

The museum's quite modern exhibitions reflect the history of money from every period in Sweden and the rest of the world. Themed sections present pre-monetary payment methods, the Eastern tradition, money in war, revolution and inflation, money and world trade and coins of antiquity. There are also exhibitions about the history of Sweden's central bank Riksbanken, the commercial banks and the savings banks, as well as the art of medals. Monetary treasures from across the country are on display, along with stories about money and crime, etc. When we open new exhibitions, we consider it important to put people at the centre of the story.

The museum has many contacts with foreign coin cabinets and with researchers in Sweden and abroad. The researchers are often interested in coins found in Swedish soil - particularly the Anglo-Saxon, German and Islamic coins from the Viking Age. There is significant collaboration with numismatic societies, while other important partners include Riksbanken, FöreningsSparbanken and Botkyrka Municipality.

Each year the museum publishes several catalogues in the fields of numismatics and cultural history. Together with the Swedish Numismatic Society, it also publishes a periodical called Svensk Numismatisk Tidskrift, in both printed and online versions. The Royal Coin Cabinet lends out objects to both Swedish and foreign museums and institutions. The museum has managed to attract large numbers of visitors thanks to free admission mondays, opening practically every day of the year and good communication with visitors. The museum also has a restaurant and café, Myntkrogen.

Published by: Eva Wiséhn