The Nickle Numismatic Collection

Virtual Exhibition - Coins of Jesus: Money and Religion in the Ancient World

Coins of Jesus: Money and Religion in the Ancient World is a virtual exhibition that highlights Judeo-Christian coinage in the Numismatic Collection of Nickle Galleries at the University of Calgary. The virtual version is based on the popular 2017 exhibition and includes high-quality images of 94 coins, now in the public domain and free for non-commercial use.

Coins of Jesus examines the world’s religious and cultural history through ancient money. It begins with the Persian Imperial coinage — the only coins referenced in the Old Testament and showcases numerous stunning examples, such as the renowned Phoenician shekels, rare Jewish YHD issues, historic coins of Pontius Pilate and the Jewish-Roman Wars, culminating with the very first Christ coins from Byzantium. The journey ends with Europe’s Medieval Christian silvers and the almost forgotten 7^th century Islamic coinage with the frontal image of Caliph Alb al-Malik.

Virtual Exhibition - What is Money?

What is Money? is the virtual exhibition of ethnographic objects from the Nickle Numismatic Collection, showcasing diverse forms of money used across the globe through time. From some of the earliest minted metals of the ancient world to Chinese knife money and African metalwork, from the Canadian Northwest Coast copper shields to the unique stone money from the Island of Yap – the exhibition explores a range in cultural understandings of money, its value in society and asks, what is money?