Search the collections
Numismatics & Philately Collection
Image: Australia, 5 Shilling, Obverse
Source: Museum Victoria
The Numismatics and Philately Collections offer a window into societies and their values, particularly officially sanctioned values. They have a worldwide coverage of coins, historical medals, military medals, paper money, share scrip and stamps.
The most extensive parts of the collection are of Australian and British Commonwealth material. The Australian coin collection is the most important of its kind in the world, containing unique reference material retained by both the Melbourne and Sydney mints.
The Numismatic collection reflects the economic, political and technological histories of societies. It is primarily built up from the collections formed by the National Gallery of Victoria and the Melbourne Mint, and products from the Canberra Mint are still obtained.
It includes the collection of the artist Eugene von Guerard and groups of medals awarded to important Victorian figures including Frederick McCoy, Redmond Barry and Ferdinand von Mueller, together with many internationally significant pieces collected for the 1879, 1880 and 1888 Australian international exhibitions.
The Philately collection comprises stamps, envelopes, covers and commemorative sets. It includes a collection of colonial Australasian stamps and an important collection of world airmail stamps to 1950. Australia Post's National Philatelic Collection is also held in Victoria. Together, these form an internationally significant resource.
Significant items
- Melbourne Mint and Sydney Mint coin collections.
- British Commonwealth coins.
- Pre-decimal Australian reference coins.
- Australian and New Zealand trade tokens.
- Gold-rush period token dies including those from the Kangaroo Office.
- Acclimatisation Society Medals.
- First trial for a token manufactured in Australia.
- Original press and gold scales from Melbourne Mint.
- Australia's first coins (holey dollars and dumps), 1813.
- 1888 Melbourne International Exhibition Ceremonial key and medal.
- European art medals, particularly by French artists, and Australian art medals.
- Colonial Australasian stamps.
- Antarctic stamps and medals.
- British Commonwealth stamps, 1935-1954.
- World stamps issued for airmail 1913-1953.
- Share scrip collection, with particular emphasis on Victorian gold mining.
- Australian internment camp currency.
Items per page: 10 50 (showing 1 - 10) 15 items
-
Mass of Fused Metal with Coin - Ash Wednesday Bushfires, Mt Macedon, Victoria, 16 Feb 1983
Mass of dark fused metal found in the ashes of Viewfield, a house in Mt. Macedon owned by John and Zelma Gartner, after the Ash Wednesday bushfires of 1983. This is one of the few trace ...
Images: 2 -
Coin Holder - Boomerang Shaped, 1966
Alternative Name(s): Coin Case Clear plastic boomerang-shaped coin holder designed to hold seven decimal currency coins. The holder features the head of an Aboriginal man holding a boo ...
Images: 1 -
Tumbler - Decimal Currency Conversion, circa 1966
Alternative Name(s): Drinking Glass Clear glass tumbler printed in red showing decimal coin currency and equivalents in pre-decimal currency. It features images of 1, 2, 5 10, 20 and 5 ...
Images: 5 -
First Day Cover - Australian Horse Racing, 10 Oct 1978
This first day cover was issued by Australia Post in 1978 to celebrate the Australian Racing Industry, particularly horses that had won the Melbourne Cup. One of these was the race hors ...
Images: 1 -
Postage Stamp - Phar Lap, 1978
This stamp was issued by Australia Post in 1978, as part of a series of four stamps celebrating the Australian Racing Industry, particularly horses that had won the Melbourne Cup. Phar ...
Images: 1 -
First Day Cover - Australian Horse Racing, 10 Oct 1978
This first day cover was issued by Australia Post in 1978 to celebrate the Australian Racing Industry, particularly horses that had won the Melbourne Cup. One of these was the race hors ...
Images: 1 -
Gatling Gun - Armstrong Mitchell, 1884
Armstrong Mitchell Gatling gun with 10 barrels within brass jacket, made in 1884. The Gatling gun is an semi-automatic early machine gun, apparently first used in combat in the Americ ...
Images: 3 -
Certificate - Royal Humane Society, Florence E. Hodges, 21 Jun 1926
Royal Humane Society of Australasia certificate presented to 15 year old Florrie Hodges to recognise the bravery of her actions in protecting her two sisters from harm during the Powell ...
Images: 2 -
Medal - 'Christus Surrexit', Stations of the Cross, Australia, 1981
Bronze art medal of the Resurrection. Designed by Michael Meszaros and minted by Royal Australian Mint, Canberra, 1981. This medal is an addition to the Stations of the Cross series (a ...
Images: 1 -
Money Box - Bester's Sweets, circa 1954
Money box manufactured for Bester's Sweets, circa 1954. The box features Queen Elizabeth II holding a bouquet on one side whilst the other side features Queen Elizabeth with her young s ...
Images: 1
