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| Museu de Valores | |
|---|---|
| Name | Museu de Valores |
| Established | 2003 |
| Location | Lisbon, Portugal |
| Type | Numismatic museum |
| Director | João Pereira |
Museu de Valores
The Museu de Valores is a numismatic and cultural institution in Lisbon dedicated to the study and display of currency, medals, banknotes, tokens and monetary instruments. It preserves, researches and exhibits items that connect to Portuguese history, European exploration, colonial trade, Atlantic commerce and international finance through relationships with institutions such as the Banco de Portugal, the European Central Bank, the International Monetary Fund, the World Bank, and the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization. The museum participates in networks including the International Numismatic Council, the European Museum Forum, the ICOM and partnerships with archives like the Arquivo Nacional Torre do Tombo and libraries like the Biblioteca Nacional de Portugal.
Founded in the early 21st century, the Museu de Valores grew from the historical collections of the Banco de Portugal and earlier cabinet collections associated with the Royal Treasury of Portugal, the Fábrica de Moedas da Casa da Moeda, and the numismatic holdings of the Museu Nacional de Arte Antiga. Its antecedents include private collections assembled by figures such as Luís de Camões era merchants, Vasco da Gama era navigators, and later collectors linked to the Age of Discovery, ties to trading houses in Lisbon, donations from families associated with the House of Braganza, and transfers of material from institutions like the Museu de Lisboa. The museum’s development intersected with events such as the Carnation Revolution and policy changes influenced by the Treaty of Lisbon and the adoption of the euro which prompted comparative exhibitions of pre-euro banknotes and coins from central banks including the Bank of England, the Deutsche Bundesbank, the Banque de France, and the Banco de España.
The permanent collection comprises coins, banknotes, medals, dies, weights, minting tools and fiscal documents spanning periods associated with the Portuguese Empire, the Iberian Union, the Reconquista, the Treaty of Tordesillas, the Treaty of Madrid (1750), and global movements tied to the Atlantic slave trade, the Silk Road (as comparative material), and the Industrial Revolution. Notable items connect to figures and institutions such as Henry the Navigator, Manuel I of Portugal, King John IV, Queen Maria II of Portugal, the House of Habsburg monetary reforms, and the Congress of Vienna monetary settlements. The museum holds rare specimens from mints like the Casa da Moeda de Lisboa, the Casa da Moeda do Brasil, the Casa da Moeda de Goa, and comparative holdings from the Monnaie de Paris, the U.S. Mint, the Royal Mint, and the Fuerstlich Sächsisches Münzkabinett. Medals commemorate events including the Treaty of Tordesillas, the Lisbon Earthquake of 1755, expeditions of Pedro Álvares Cabral, and anniversaries of the Carnation Revolution. The archive includes correspondence with numismatists such as Antonio Santos, exchanges with the Smithsonian Institution, loans from the British Museum, and comparative research partnerships with the Bibliothèque nationale de France and the Vatican Library.
Housed in a historic Lisbon structure proximate to the Avenida da Liberdade and the Baixa Pombalina district, the museum occupies a site with architectural links to the Pombaline reconstruction after the 1755 Lisbon earthquake and to later 19th-century renovations influenced by Eduardo VII Park urbanism. The building includes conserved elements from workshops related to the Casa da Moeda and interiors restored in consultation with the Direção-Geral do Património Cultural, with climate control systems specified to standards used by the International Council on Monuments and Sites and conservation protocols shared with the Getty Conservation Institute and the International Centre for the Study of the Preservation and Restoration of Cultural Property (ICCROM). Architectural details reference Portuguese craftsmen associated with the Manueline decorative vocabulary and later neoclassical interventions comparable to works by architects such as Teodoro de Frias and contemporaries who worked on the National Theatre D. Maria II.
The museum curates themed exhibitions on subjects like coinage of the Age of Discovery, comparative banknote design including works by Césariny de Vasconcelos style engravers, colonial-era fiscal policies, and contemporary currency art. Past temporary exhibitions featured loans from the Banco de Portugal Museum, the Museu Nacional de Soares dos Reis, the Museu do Oriente, and international institutions such as the Louvre, the Hermitage Museum, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Educational programs include workshops with numismatists from the International Numismatic Council, lectures with scholars from the University of Lisbon, the New University of Lisbon (NOVA), the University of Coimbra, and residencies for researchers from the European University Institute. Outreach collaborations have been organized with cultural festivals such as the Festa de São António, the Festa de Santo António, and heritage events promoted by the European Heritage Days.
Operated under the aegis of the Banco de Portugal governance framework and overseen by a board drawing members from the Ministry of Culture (Portugal), the institution follows policies modeled on standards of the International Council of Museums and audit practices of financial institutions like the European Central Bank and the Bank for International Settlements. Conservation, registration and cataloguing follow protocols shared with the Museu Nacional de Arte Antiga, and security practices incorporate biometric access systems comparable to those used by the British Museum and the Louvre. Funding streams include endowments, public grants linked to the Direção-Geral das Artes, sponsorships from corporations such as Caixa Geral de Depósitos, and support from cultural foundations like the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation. Governance involves curatorial staff, provenance researchers, and partnerships with legal advisors versed in conventions like the UNESCO 1970 Convention.
The museum is accessible via Lisbon’s transport network including stops on the Lisbon Metro, trams that traverse the Alfama and Chiado districts, and is near rail links at Rossio Railway Station and Cais do Sodré. Visitor services include guided tours in collaboration with the Portuguese Tourist Board (Turismo de Portugal), tactile displays adhering to accessibility guidelines promoted by the European Disability Forum, and bilingual materials in Portuguese and English prepared with input from the Instituto Camões. Ticketing and membership programs coordinate with initiatives such as the Lisbon Card and regional cultural passes; the museum publishes catalogues and research bulletins in partnership with academic presses at the University of Porto and the Fundação Calouste Gulbenkian.
Category:Museums in Lisbon Category:Numismatic museums