Philatelic and Numismatic Museum

A stamp or coin has very little space in which to make its subject recognizable. Look for the name, portrait or emblem around an image, and notice how the lettering fits the shape. These objects belong to everyday exchanges as well as to collecting. The Philatelic and Numismatic Museum deals with stamps and coins. Its history includes papal issues, issues made during a vacancy of the papal office and models used in coin production. A model and a finished coin represent different stages in turning an image into something that can be repeated. The collection is in the museum’s basement sector. You can use its subjects to compare how different papacies represented themselves in small objects that travelled far beyond these buildings.