Secret signs and symbols on coins Automatic translate

13 kg of gold and 50 kg of brass: The Numismatics Museum opened the exhibition "Secret Signs and Symbols on Coins" with rare exhibits.

The International Numismatic Club Museum has opened a new exhibition, "Secret Signs and Symbols on Coins." For the first time, the museum is presenting coins minted by world-renowned artists from antiquity to modern times in a single exhibition.

The exhibition runs all year long: from September 17, 2025 to September 14, 2026.

The exhibition, based on Vagit Alekperov’s collection, is distinguished by its high level of authenticity and preservation. In collaboration with the Central Bank of the Russian Federation and the Cryptography Museum, the exhibition features over three hundred unique items. Among them are rare coins, such as the first coin ever to bear an inscription, Roman aurei depicting landmarks of imperial cities, a coin-shaped badge, a collection of thalers, a coin bearing a portrait of the royal family of Nicholas I, coins dedicated to the gods of Ancient Rome, coins with counting dots, amulet coins (such as a bell coin and a dolphin coin), and even a hiding place coin. Particularly noteworthy is the museum’s largest gold coin, weighing 10 kg. In total, the exhibition hall contains 13 kg of gold and 50 kg of brass.

The Bank of Russia Museum presented sketches for modern commemorative coins (including those with portraits of Yuri Gagarin, Alexander Pushkin, and Alexander Suvorov) and finished dies at the exhibition.

"We possess the largest collection of coins ever issued in Russia, and our section at the exhibition is more modern. It complements the remarkable collection of the International Numismatic Club, creating a unified complex bound by tradition. We typically don’t export our collection. So here we’ve made a pleasant exception to share masterpieces not from the past, but from the present, which adorn the collection of numismatists and, of course, our exhibition halls," said Alexander Bugrov, Chief Historian of the Bank of Russia.

The Numismatics Museum has unveiled its first exhibition dedicated to the hidden messages on coins. Here, visitors can learn about the work of medalists, the attribution of coins to specific mints, and the evolution of minting technologies. The exhibition demonstrates how coins reflect the views of rulers of different eras and what they may conceal. Visitors will also learn how to recognize counterfeits, determine the origin of coins, and identify their owners. The exhibition also highlights modern methods of protecting funds and unique coin production technologies. Materials prepared in collaboration with the Cryptography Museum reveal the secrets of protecting electronic money. The exhibition explains what Bitcoin, the ancient Roman denarius, and the Novgorod ruble have in common, why cryptocurrencies are not cryptography in the true sense, and how numismatics utilizes encryption systems from different eras.

"When museums like the Cryptography Museum and the International Numismatic Club Museum come together to explain how symbols, signs, and technologies, whether hidden or overt, yet incomprehensible to the layperson, work for the average person every day, it helps our visitors see the world in its full scope, its systems, and its cause-and-effect relationships. Ultimately, this strengthens us as museums and institutions for the popularization of various sciences. We are thrilled to introduce new audiences to modern technologies, such as blockchain, which has long since transcended cryptocurrencies and powers voting, logistics, and other everyday processes," noted Lidiya Lobanova, director of the Cryptography Museum.

The exhibition design is organized around the metaphor of a safe deposit box — a space where valuable items are securely hidden from prying eyes and protected by symbolic combinations. The exhibition design emphasizes the enigmatic and multilayered nature of numismatics, creating an atmosphere of exploration and mystery. Visitors find themselves inside a bank vault, allowing them to delve deeper into the world of coins. Display cases in the hall are equipped with digital tablets, allowing visitors to examine the images in detail and highlight their key elements. An interactive "mirror" helps compare coinage with other art forms, allowing familiar symbols and signs to be seen in a global context.

"Our exhibition demonstrates that the coin is a phenomenon, and the phenomenal events that occurred in ancient times, even in Classical Antiquity, are repeated in one way or another to this day. When a coin is revealed in its historical, economic, and, one might say, utilitarian context, we begin to view the coin as a work of art in a completely different way," emphasized exhibition curator Kristina Bakshutova.

At the exhibition, visitors will be able to try their hand at being a medalist and create their own coin design, leaf through a book whose pages bring history to life, and climb Gulliver’s "coin stack" to experience how a coin is a great world in miniature.

The exhibition is included in the 2025/2026 city Olympiad "Museums. Parks. Estates." The project introduces schoolchildren to cultural values, an integral part of which is numismatics.