This is one of those cities that you want to return to again and again. Quiet, comfortable Theodosius is a resort province where life flows smoothly and measuredly. Here you just want to slowly walk along the promenade, breathing in the scent of history. It was in these places that Aivazovsky drew inspiration, and it was this azure sea that gave its warmth to millions of tourists. Theodosius is one of the oldest cities on the peninsula, and it is not surprising that there are so many attractions, including the Theodosian Museum of Antiquities (local history) and the Museum of Money. All of them talk about the historical heritage that has survived to this day.
Theodosia Museum of Money (Feodosia, Crimea) is a unique collection of coins and banknotes. The oldest specimen (Tatraobol) dates back to the 4th century BC. e. Here are many unique notes, which in the world are literally few. To visit a museum means to touch the most interesting pages of Crimean history.
Theodosian Museum of Money (Theodosius): foundation story
In ancient Greece, Crimea was an important trading center, uniting the entire Black Sea coast. The abundance of merchants from various countries led to the fact that the cities of the peninsula had to mint their own coins, and the production center was founded precisely in Feodosia. The beautiful Mint also appealed to the Genoese, who replaced the Greeks. The rulers of the Byzantine and later Ottoman empires did not begin to destroy it. The coinage was preserved even in those days when the Crimea was captured by the Russian Empire.
It is believed that the Theodosian Museum of Money was founded in the late 19th century. Then an abundance of unusual banknotes attracted numismatists. And the first who dared to collect the collection and to display it was G. Galera. The first exhibits were samples of banknotes of Macedonia under the rule of the kings of Lysimachus and Philip III. The Feodosia Museum of Money expanded, and the merchants of the time helped him in many ways, among which Jivardji made a significant contribution.
The follower of the Galley was the numismatist Retovsky (late 19th - early 20th century), under whose leadership the collection expanded significantly, and the museum building became a center for collections of numismatists-collectors from all over Russia.
Unfortunately, in Soviet times, nobody needed a museum of money. The sights of Feodosia lost their value, the unique architecture was destroyed, and the city itself from a central resort turned into a quiet provincial. Only in 2003, the famous entomologist and numismatist A. R. Oleshchuk, who is now the director of the Museum of Money, began to restore the precious collection on his own.
Theodosius money
In the very first section of the Museum of Money you can see all the coins that have ever been made on the territory of Feodosia. From the 4th to 5th centuries BC e. the city was the only one on the Black Sea coast where they were minted. The ingots and the first samples are perfectly preserved. Several stands tell of specimens found during the reign of the Genoese and Tatars.
Further, a historical round leads us to the emergence of a monetary unit of the Crimean Khanate and coins of one of the rulers separately - Shahin-Geray. After the annexation of Crimea to the Russian Empire, Catherine II ordered the minting of new coins, and all this was done directly in Feodosia, as evidenced by the found samples and documents.
Kingdom of bosporus
Theodosia Museum of Money stores all samples of coins of the Bosporus Kingdom. As you know, the period of its existence falls on approximately the 4th century BC. e. Then each city had its own unique monetary unit, and many ancient specimens found in the land are now on the stands of the exhibition hall.
Ukrainian money
A separate room is dedicated to all banknotes ever encountered on the territory of Ukraine from the time of Kievan Rus to the present day. There are also samples that were made on the Right-Bank Ukraine during the reign of the Commonwealth, the money of the Ukrainian People’s Republic of 1917 and the period of supremacy of the Reich Commissariat (1942).
Money story
Theodosia Museum of Money is not only an exhibition of various designs, but also a method of studying the history of banknotes. After all, coins and banknotes are privileges of the modern world, and before the first civilizations, people exchanged goods or objects equated to them. For example, shells, as it was in the Crimea. The first exchange points were in the cities of Genoa, Yevpatoriya and, of course, Feodosia.
In the sixth department of the museum, in addition to historical specimens, fairly modern ones are presented, for example, the first plastic cards. Of interest is the collection of fakes. So, there is a coin with the same obverse and reverse, and a banknote of one million dollars.
USSR values
Few people know that for some coins born in the USSR, now you can get a large amount. Theodosia Museum of Money knows what the value of a particular instance is. So, for example, for a 3-ruble coin of 1958, you can now get from 60 to 80 thousand rubles. And for a penny (from 1 to 50) of the same year of production, much more can be gained. It's all a rarity. Since in those days this money had practically no value, they simply went out of use and were lost, but now all treasure hunters are interested in looking for them.
Among copecks there was such a denomination as 0 rubles. Coins of this denomination were issued after the war and in total in the amount of 50 pieces. Now, for each instance, collectors are ready to pay $ 1,000.
Banknotes of the modern world
In the fifth section of the exhibition hall of the Museum of Money you can see samples of banknotes of modern states. Now, working capital is represented here in more than 200 countries of the world.
The stands are constantly replenished. So, recently, banknotes came from the Republic of Yemen with a face value of 250 rials (2009) and the Democratic Republic of Sao Tome with a face value of 20,000 good (2010). The modern collection is replenished thanks to travelers and coin collectors who value and love their hobby.
Location
It remains to figure out how to get to the Feodosia Museum of Money. It is located in a building located at Kuibyshev Street, 12. In the same building there is another famous museum dedicated to hang gliding. Please note that the street has recently been renamed, and therefore Green’s name still appears on old maps.
Near the entrance to the museum there is a sculpture of Crassula (popularly referred to as a money tree). It is believed that if you rub the leaves of a tree, then you will definitely have money. You can get here from the center along Galerenoy Street if you go down towards the sea. At the intersection with Kuibyshev Street you need to turn right and walk 200 meters.