A Brief History of the Museum

The origins of the Casa de la Moneda Museum date back to the eighteenth century and are closely linked to the figure of Tomás Francisco Prieto, Master Engraver to the Mints of King Charles III, and the Director of Intaglio Engraving at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts of San Fernando. Prieto was also the founder, in 1771, of a School of Engraving where training was given to the artists who would later ply their skill in the Mints of Spain and the Indies.

The collection of drawings, engravings, antique books, coins and medals assembled by Prieto for the instruction of his pupils, and bought by King Charles III, became after his death in 1783 the initial nucleus of the Museum. This has gradually been expanded with successive acquisitions and donations, in addition to sample copies of the different products that are made in the FNMT-RCM.

The original collection of the Casa de la Moneda Museum was shown to the public for the first time during the reign of Isabella II, in 1867, in the former Spanish Mint building located in the Plaza de Colón. There it remained until 1964, when it was brought to its current accommodation.