The creation of the Moscow Kremlin Museums’ numismatic collection is closely linked to the history of the Armoury Chamber. From the beginning of the 18th century, various ancient coins began to arrive here. In the 19th century, the collection became more comprehensive and interesting. In 1883, ancient coins and medals were placed in nine special showcases in the Armoury Chamber.
Nowadays, the numismatics collection of the Moscow Kremlin Museums contains more than 57,000 pieces. The main part of it is made up of Russian and foreign coins, from ancient to modern. There are Old Russian silver coins from the time of Svyatopolk I of Kiev, silver ingots from the 11th to 15th century, Russian coins from the 14th to 20th century. Also worth mentioning is the section on the USSR coins. It includes both coins issued for regular circulation, unique specimens of the 1941 experimental fifty-kopeck pieces, and rare variants from the 1985 series of unissued coins.
The collection also features rather rare Russian coin-shaped rewards made of gold and gilded silver in the 16th-17th centuries. The earliest known one bearing a name is a gold coin in the weight of ½ Hungarian, set in a silver frame with a carved inscription on it about the awarding of stolnik (pantler) V. Fefilatev by Tsar Mikhail Fyodorovich in 1640.
More than forty thousand coins come from treasure troves and coin complexes of the 14th - early 20th century, that were found on the territory of the Moscow Kremlin. Two burden treasures with the Golden Horde’s coins deserve special mentioning: a trove with Russian ingots and Tartar coins of the late 14th century, and the Golden Horde’s and Crimean coins of the 15th century. Some Russian hoards of 16th and 17th century coins are unique in their composition. One of them comprises more than 1,500 kopecks with the name of Polish Prince Wladyslaw, who was proclaimed the Russian tsar in 1610-1612. Another rather big trove of the mid-17th century (about 35,000 pieces) contains more than 6,000 denga (½ kopeck) coins and 5,800 polushka (¼ copper kopeck) coins.
The collection of paper currency and metal stamps from the 18th to 20th century is not large. It contains around 200 items and reflects only the main types and basic areas of bond usage.