Ever since its foundation in 1816, the OeNB has been the focus of all things monetary in Austria. Over time, it has compiled a Coin Collection and Art Archives containing sketches and designs of banknotes, historical banknotes and securities. These two collections house numerous valuable objects and documents dating back to the beginnings of coinage in the 7th century B.C..
The OeNB has compiled a Coin Collection, Art Archives containing original sketches and designs of banknotes by Austrian artists, including Gustav Klimt and Koloman Moser, as well as collections of printing plates and of historical banknotes. The Money Museum’s collection and a collection of domestic and foreign stocks and securities complement the exhibits on the history of money.
The various special exhibitions of the Money Museum draw on these collections.
The Coin Collection, which was established in the 1950s, was put together with a special emphasis on the region of Austria and its monetary history from antiquity to modern times. The concept has since been expanded to cover the history of money in Europe.
The current collection covers the following principal areas:
- The Money Museum houses an impressive collection of coins from the Roman-German Empire and the Habsburg dynasty. Coins from the era of Emperor Francis (II) I, the founder of the dynasty, are accorded a special emphasis.
- An appealing medieval collection of numismatic interest documents early Austrian monetary history.
- The large collection of the archbishops of Salzburg, which represents a further important numismatic focus. This collection contains some highly prized pieces (the Rübentaler of 1504 and the Löwentaler of 1790).
- An extensive collection of zecchino coins (14th to 19th century) used in the trade metropolis Venice.
- Antique coins representing a cross-section of Greek, Roman, Celtic and Byzantine numismatic treasures.
- Diverse rare specimens from all regions of the globe that round out the Money Museum’s displays.
The Money Museum’s collection is the second-largest collection of its type in Vienna, comprising some 25,000 coins.
The Coin Collection is structured as follows:
Antiquity: Ancient Near Eastern (e.g. Persian, Punian, etc.), Greek, Celtic and Roman coins.
Middle Ages: Coins dating from the 6th to the 15th century.
Modern Age: Coins dating from the 16th to the early 20th century.
Modernity: Coins and business strike sets dating from the 20th century.
Finds: Coins found in the Marchfeld region, at Sinope, etc.
Medals: Medals, reckoning counters (Rechenpfennige).
Alternative means of payment: Ingots, premonetary means of exchange, tokens, emergency money (Notgeld).
Furthermore, a collection of museum artifacts comprises various objects, such as scales and tools, documenting the history of money.
The Art Archives of the Oesterreichische Nationalbank with their roughly 200,000 exhibits were established to support the OeNB in its task of manufacturing banknotes and monitoring their circulation. The Art Archives boast exhibits on banknote production (from original designs to printing plates), essai notes and banknote specimens. Since the OeNB’s establishment in 1816 numerous famous Austrian artists, such as Koloman Moser, Gustav Klimt, Ferdinand Kitt and Berthold Löffler, have designed banknotes for the OeNB.
The Museum Collection of the Art Archives (some 1,000 works of art) contains rarities of the individual archive sections, including numerous unique copies as well as early and rare banknotes. A collection of Austrian and foreign securities complements these objects.
The Art Archives house the following collections:
Sketch and Design Collection: Original sketches and designs, trial prints, banknote paper.
Printing and Production Collection: Printing plates as from 1816, glass negatives, films, stencil screens, etc.
Historical Banknote Collection: Gulden, krone and schilling banknotes, allied military currency, Reichsmark notes and unimplemented designs.
Museum Collection of the Art Archives: different types of paper money, such as government notes, revolutionary notes, emergency money (Notgeld), private notes and foreign banknotes.
Stock and Securities Collection: Austrian and foreign stocks, bonds and securities.
Records: Documents, patents, decrees and regulations on banknote production, official announcements, circulars, etc.
Collection of Historical Counterfeits: Counterfeits of historical Austrian banknotes as from 1816 as well as of Wiener-Stadt-Banco Zettel as from 1800.
Furthermore, a collection of museum artifacts comprises various objects, such as scales and tools, documenting the history of money.