For the First Time, Highlights from the Commemorative Coin and Medal Collection of the Shanghai Mint Museum Will Be Showcased in London

For the first time, highlights from the commemorative coin and medal collection of the Shanghai Mint Museum will be showcased in London

Highlights from the commemorative coin and medal collection of the Shanghai Mint Museum will be showcased in London for the first time.

The exhibition, titled COINect, will explore Chinese culture and creativity over the past two centuries through the art of coin design. It is part of Our Water, a cultural exchange program that explores the relationship between water and urban life in Shanghai and other global cities.

Following its launch in Paris during the 2024 Summer Olympics, this year’s edition turns its focus to the cultural ties between London and Shanghai, highlighting the shared heritage between the former Royal Mint in London and the Shanghai Mint – two historic sites situated along significant waterways: the River Thames in London and Suzhou Creek in Shanghai.

The temporary exhibition will be open from June 8 through 14 at the former Royal Mint, located in Tower Hamlets, in the East End of London. It is organized by the Shanghai Mint Museum and the Ministry of Culture and Tourism of the People’s Republic of China.

“We are pleased to present highlights from the Shanghai Mint Museum outside of China for the first time,” said Dr. Pearl Haoqing Wang, curator of COINect. “Rather than focusing on monetary value, the exhibition explores how coins and medals serve as commemorative artifacts and historical records. As physical currency becomes less central to daily life, coins increasingly preserve and reflect collective memory, cultural values, and shared histories.”

The 105 sets of coins and medals on display will be arranged across 12 themed cases. They focus on different elements of Chinese culture, heritage and history, spanning from ancient times to the modern era.

The exhibition will open with a series of intricate commemorative medals created between 1998 and 2010, depicting the twelve animals of the Zodiac – the first complete set to represent the entire zodiac cycle.

China’s cultural treasures will feature in a series of coins depicting the Great Wall of China, the Mausoleum of Qin Shi Huang and the Terracotta Warriors, the Classical Gardens of Suzhou, and the Forbidden City from the Ming and Qing Dynasties.

The exhibition will also celebrate China’s unique natural heritage. Highlights include coins depicting some of the country’s rare and iconic wildlife, such as the giant panda, South China tiger, Baiji dolphin, and Yangtze alligator.

Another display of coins underscores China’s global cultural connections, including commemorative issues for the 2008 Summer Olympics and the 2022 Winter Olympics, both hosted in Beijing.

The exhibition will feature interactive displays that demonstrate various aspects of coin production. For example, a video will showcase the minting process of the Olympic medals from the 2008 Beijing Olympics, offering valuable context for key technical processes. Elsewhere, a digital wishing pool will allow visitors to virtually toss a coin and make a wish, while other installations invite them to learn Chinese characters from coin designs, and create their own design for next year’s zodiac animal – the horse. 

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