MADRID.- Spain’s National Archaeological Museum has added 239 rare coins to what is already considered the world’s most important public collection of Andalusi numismatics, strengthening a group that documents nearly eight centuries of Islamic history on the Iberian Peninsula.
The coins were acquired by Spain’s Ministry of Culture through several auctions held between 2024 and 2026. Together, the purchases represent an investment of €988,126 and expand the museum’s Andalusi holdings to nearly 17,000 objects.
All of the newly acquired pieces come from the Tonegawa Collection and date from between the eighth and fifteenth centuries. The group includes coins of exceptional rarity, among them a gold dobla issued by Boabdil that records his complete genealogy, as well as what the museum describes as the first dirham minted in al-Andalus after it emerged as an independent political entity.
For the museum, the coins are far more than examples of historical currency. They provide material evidence of the political changes, economic systems and social values that shaped al-Andalus over the course of several centuries. Their inscriptions, denominations, metals and places of production can help researchers trace shifts in authority and identity across the region.
Acquisitions made over three years
The most recent purchase consists of 60 coins acquired for €402,198. It follows three earlier acquisitions made in 2024 and 2025: 88 coins purchased for €214,955, 39 coins for €147,778 and 52 coins for €223,194.
Some of the pieces had previously been declared non-exportable because of their rarity and the limited number of comparable examples held in Spanish public collections. Their acquisition ensures that they will remain accessible for research, conservation and public display in Spain.
The museum said the purchases will help preserve the quality of its numismatic holdings while expanding knowledge of Spain’s multicultural past.
A collection spanning more than two millennia
The National Archaeological Museum’s broader numismatic collection contains more than 300,000 objects dating from the sixth century BC to the present day. It is regarded as the most important collection of its kind in Spain and one of the most significant internationally.
Its Andalusi section traces the history of Islamic-ruled territories on the Iberian Peninsula from the year 711 through the fall of the Kingdom of Granada in 1492. With nearly 17,000 examples, the collection includes coinage issued under successive political authorities and provides an unusually detailed record of the region’s changing economic and political landscape.
The museum’s efforts to collect and preserve Andalusi coins date back to its origins in the eighteenth century. By the end of the nineteenth century, its holdings were already regarded as the strongest collection in the field.
Since then, the group has become an important resource for scholars studying al-Andalus from historical, economic and monetary perspectives. It also plays a central role in the museum’s exhibitions and educational programs, helping visitors understand how coinage can reveal the ambitions of rulers, the reach of trade networks and the cultural complexity of medieval Iberia.
The latest acquisitions deepen that historical record by filling gaps and bringing rare or unique examples into a public institution. While individual coins may be small in scale, together they offer a detailed portrait of societies whose political borders, languages, religions and systems of exchange changed dramatically over time.
To mark the acquisitions, the National Archaeological Museum will host a roundtable discussion on November 4 in its ceremonial rooms. The event will focus on the newly acquired pieces and on the broader significance of the museum’s Andalusi coin collection.
