Coin and medal collection
The collection of coins and medals in Odense City Museums is one of the largest in the country. It comprises around 20,000 coins and medals and was established at the same time as the founding of the museum in 1860. It was the chemist Gustav Lotze, chairman of the museum’s board of directors, who took the initiative to expand and develop the collection in earnest during the second half of the 19th century. The collection has since been extended through purchases and bequests.
The nucleus of the collection is made up of Danish coins, supplemented by loans from the National Museum, ancient coins and medals.
At the present time Odense City Museum’s collection of coins and medals is in the process of being digitalized so that it can be presented here on the website. The digitalization project has been made possible by means of a grant from the Cultural Heritage fund for ‘Digitalization in museums.’