EXHIBITION UPDATE

The latest government guidance on the reopening of museums and galleries states that ‘indoor entertainment, such as museums, cinemas and children’s play areas’ can open from 17 May at the earliest. If you are planning to visit a museum then check their website in advance as certain opening and ticketing restrictions may be in place.

50 Years - A Celebration of the Coin Collection, Barber Institute of Fine Arts | until 27 June

In 2020, the Barber celebrated the golden anniversary of its coin collection – one of the most significant in the world.

Scholars and numismatists, Geoffrey Haines (1899-1981) and Philip Whitting (1903-1988), each left their vast collections of a combined 15,000 pieces to the Barber with the condition that the coins were used for ‘educative purposes’. This fiftieth anniversary exhibition honours their wishes and introduces the fascinating world of coins – miniaturised artworks and historical documents – to today’s visitors.

Through visually engaging and appealing objects, this exhibition explains the basics of the study of coins and aims to answer the questions non-specialists might have about this niche, but revelatory, subject. Find out how much an ancient coin might have bought, where and how it was made, and discover the story of how these coins came to be part of a museum here in Birmingham.

Lasers, Hoarding and Roman Gold Coinage, Ashmolean Museum | Gallery 7 | until March 2021

Explore the results of recent research from the University of Oxford which used laser technology to determine the chemical ‘fingerprint’ of over 600 coins.

As part of the Oxford Coin Hoards of the Roman Empire Project, this display shows changes in the gold sources exploited by the Ancient Romans and in hoarding behaviours, allowing fascinating insights into fundamental developments in the Roman economy.