Famous for its extensive collection of coins, the Museum was founded between 1865 and 1870, thanks to Nicola Bottacin who bequeathed to the City of Padua all the collections which he had painstakingly put together over many years of work.
The Museum, with more than 50,000 coins, medals and seals, is one of the most important numismatic collections in the world. However, only a small part of this material is on display for educational purposes, aimed at illustrating the history and function of money.
Among the pieces exhibited are some "Venetic" coins ( IV-II centuries B.C.), some very rare Roman medallions of the Emperors Hadrian, Septimus Severius and Maxentius, the Longobard tremissis of Aistolfo, and some coins from the Museum's Venetian series, one of the most complete in the world.
Although mainly known for its numismatic collections, the Bottacin Museum also contains important collections of sculptures and paintings of the 19th century (including works by Induno, Querena and Vela) which highlight the prevailing taste of bourgeois patrons in that century.