About the money collection

As part of our national cultural heritage, the National Numismatic Collection belongs to all of us. Part of the collection is on display in the Value in everything exhibition, but the vast majority of our collection is safely stored in depots. Our goal is to make every object accessible. That’s why part of the collection is available online. If you’re doing research that requires a closer look at some of our objects, you can make an appointment by sending an email to info.nnc@dnb.nl.

Tip: De Nederlandsche Bank also lends objects to museums for exhibitions. An overview of these museums and the objects they have on loan is available here.

Numismatics is the study of all forms of money. It examines the physical characteristics of these objects, such as their design, the materials they’re made of and their legends. And it looks at their historical, economic and cultural context. Numismatists study how money systems work, the history of economies and how coins and paper money convey social and political messages. 

De Nederlandsche Bank manages the National Numismatic Collection, but it does not own all the objects. The other owners are the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Education, Culture and Science. There are also objects on loan, for example from the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences, the Royal Archives and the Netherlands Economic History Archive.  All these objects together make up the National Numismatic Collection. 

De Nederlandsche Bank participates in various projects and contributes to national and international databases. The aim is to build and share knowledge.