The Numismatic Collection of the Museum in Bijelo Polje was established at the time of the Museum’s founding. Most of the material was collected through donations, and partly through archaeological research and purchases. By 1961, the first collection of metal and paper money had been assembled, later enriched with nearly 1,000 additional specimens. Today, the collection includes around 1,300 monetary units of various denominations and origins.
The collection was created with the aim of contributing to national culture and history, as well as providing insight into social and economic processes at both local and state levels. Money, as an important historical artifact, testifies to monetary circulation, culture, social relations, and systems of governance, as well as to the political and economic changes that have shaped this region over the centuries. In addition to its economic significance, the collection also holds historical, cultural, heraldic, sociological, and documentary value.
Chronologically, the money preserved in the Collection can be divided into several periods:
- Roman coinage
- Medieval coinage (Brskovo mint)
- Currency from the period of Ottoman rule (lira, akçe, asper)
- Currency in circulation in Montenegro until 1906
- Montenegrin perper (from 1906 until the introduction of the dinar of the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes – Yugoslavia)
- Currency of the Kingdom of SCS and the Kingdom of Yugoslavia, as well as Italian lira from the occupation period
- Currency of the FPRY – SFRY
In addition to official currency, the Collection also includes specimens of various European currencies that arrived in these areas through trade, migration, and historical circumstances. Of particular value are a medal of Franz Joseph I from 1848 and an Austrian order for military merit from 1890.
Part of the Numismatic Collection is exhibited in the permanent display of the Museum, while the larger part is kept in storage due to limited exhibition space. Due to its historical value, the Numismatic Collection was entered in 1962 into the Register of Movable Cultural Monuments of the People’s Republic of Montenegro and is under legal protection.