Pocket Change: A Story of Coins through Time

March 17, 2026 – March 6, 2027

Coins like those in your pocket have helped shape empires for thousands of years. This exhibit showcases more than six dozen coins, focusing on East Asia and the Mediterranean, and spanning more than two millennia. Each coin is both an artifact and a historical document, allowing numismatists (or coin collectors) to trace their evolution from raw metals to standardized modern currency. In this exhibit, visitors will learn how coins serve as historical documents that comment on the politics of long-gone states and how coins circulated widely throughout the world, providing information on trade networks and ancient cities. Coins give a human connection to the past— mundane objects that were touched by people like us, thousands of years ago.

This exhibit was curated by Jason Zhang (’26) and features objects on loan from the curator.

This exhibit is paired with Shelling Out: Traditional Currency from the Collection.