More than 120,000 coins make up the Saul A. Fox National Coin Center, spanning a period of some 2,300 years, from the invention of coinage in the 7th century BCE, to the 17th century CE.

The majority of coins are single finds from large and small excavations. In addition, the collection includes more than 150 hoards of gold, silver and bronze coins, beginning in the Persian period through to the Ottoman period.  The collection's exceptional importance lies in the fact that the provenance of almost all the coins has been ascertained. Consequently it constitutes one of the largest scientific numismatic data-bases of its kind in the world, ideally suited for in-depth study of coin-types, distribution patterns, and intra/inter-site circulation. The nucleus of the collection is comprised of a group of 10,000 coins acquired by numismatists from purchases and excavations between 1925 –1948.

The staff of the Saul A. Fox National Coin Center performs a wide range of tasks, both scientific and curatorial. Its members specialize in the identification, registration and scientific publication of coins found in excavations. Additional duties include lectures and scientific consultation for researchers and archaeologists; preparation of coin exhibits in Israel and abroad and preparation of educational material.

One of the unique and fascinating features of the Saul Fox National Coin Center in the Jay and Jeanie Schottenstein National Campus will be the rare opportunity for the public to visit objects in the visible housing, as well as to observe the work performed in the conservation and restoration laboratories by our coins conservators. This remarkable feature is an important and dramatic example of the IAA’s mission to provide increasingly enhanced accessibility to its huge collections.