A vast selection of coins and medals is on display at a national numismatic exhibition at the National Museum of Archaeology in Valletta.

The exhibition, being organised by Heritage Malta, is divided into different periods of history and includes the Carthaginians, the Romans, the Medieval millennium, theOrder of St John, the French and the British.

Another section includes medals, proofs and accessories, while the minting process is also explained through audiovisual means.

Coins started being struck around 650BC. They provide physical evidence not only of monetary values but also of other information such asthe political import of differ-ent periods.

Until 1972, Malta mainly used coinage of the various foreign powers occupying the islands. In that year, Malta issued its own currency for the first time.

Heritage Malta also displays a number of coins in other museums such as the Domus Romana, the Archaeology Museum in Gozo, and Fort St Elmo. A selection from this collection will eventually be on show in the Grand Master’s Palace as part of the major project of rehabilitation co-financed by the European Union. 

Admission to the exhibition is included in the museum’s regular ticket price.  The opening hours of the National Museum of Archaeology in Valletta are from 9am to 6pm (last admissionat 5.30pm.)  For more information visit www.heritagemalta.org.