Collecting coins is a very good and healthy way people have of entertaining while learning interesting cultural, historical, social, economic details of different countries of the world.
The Caribbean area, and particularly Cuba, has a significant amount of collection pieces characterized by its colorfulness and variety of shapes which includes images and figures of animals, sea sceneries, and tropical fruits, among some other motifs.
The word numismatics comes from the old Greek word nomisma which means coin and refers to the study and collection of coins, bills, badges, medals, and other related objects.
Actually, in the past time it was very common to use gold or silver pieces in order to purchase products needed for human life, and this way, boost the commercial relations among people. Historians say that the products value was determined by the metals’ weight and purity they were made of.
Nevertheless, it was not everywhere like that. For instance, a great amount of African people used to use sea shells and other things as exchange unit for other products they needed to survive.
America’s discover by Christopher Columbus and the continent’s precious metals wealth were key factors for increasing coin minting in the Old World. Coin minting in the New World, in Mexico for example, took place for first time in 1535 after the Spanish colonization.
It was only in 1869 that first bills were minted in Cuba by Carlos Manuel de Céspedes, first president of the Republic in Arms; and only in 1914 that a real Cuban monetary system was established in Havana.
Many of such mentioned details are provided at the Numismatics Museum of Havana’s Historian’s Office. This museum was created in December 11th, 1975, at the instance of who was those days Minister President of the Bank Raúl León Torras.
The museum’s aim is looking after and preserving not only the Cuban but also the international numismatics history of its collection of more than 120 thousand pieces.
In addition, it promotes cultural meetings with children and old persons as well as relations with the Cuban bank system and the Cuban Coin House, institution in charge of all legal and commemorative minting of the country.
It celebrates every year in July 9th the Day of Cuban Numismatics, at the times it constitutes the permanent headquarters for the Numismatics National Association of Cuba and its board of directors.
The museum offers visits to its exhibition halls and to its numismatic-related products shopping center in collaboration with the Cuban Coin House.
Is comprises permanent and temporary exhibition halls. Last halls are related with special historical event anniversaries; whereas the first ones show Cuban first bills minted by Carlos Manuel de Céspedes in 1869 or pieces dating from the beginnings of Cuban monetary system in 1914, 1915.
This place has 22 workers; 9 of them belong to its technical department. It is located at Obispo Street between Aguiar and Habana streets. It occupies the same building that a bank called Mendoza used to use in 1915.