Unique and modern
As you descend the grand staircase you think of the money spent on the revamp, 3.8 million euros, and hope the project succeeds. «The aim is to allow the monument to coexist with the history of coins,» says museum director Despina Evgenidou. She dreams of «a modern museum that will play a role in the cultural life of Athens and the public’s everyday life.» Publications The next goal is to produce publications. The museum has 500,000 coins, of which visitors see only 10,8666, and the collection is constantly enriched with new acquisitions. Gradually some of them will appear in exhibitions related either to the history of the building or to the coins. The Numismatic Museum is the only one of its kind in the Balkans and one of the few independent numismatic museums. It also has a wealth of priceless treasures. Try to get a copy of the museum’s publication «How Much it Cost: The Price of Food from Antiquity till the Present Day.» Among other things, it compares daily wages: For example, a laborer in Eleusis in 329 BC took home 3 obols a day, while an Athenian sailor in 314 BC earned 4 obols.
