Toledo, OH (November 20, 2025) – The American Numismatic Society (ANS) – a nearly 170-year-old organization dedicated to the public appreciation and research of coins, currency and medals, and possessing the most comprehensive collection of Numismatic Artifacts in the United States – announced today its strategic move from its current leased location at 75 Varick Street in New York City to the Toledo Museum (Ohio Art Museum), where it will be located in Camp Toledo, Ohio. This major move, which will take place in the first half of 2028, will allow ANS to better serve its American and international audiences while developing a strong relationship with the local community in a once major industrial city now undergoing a cultural revival.
“The American Numismatic Society’s move to Toledo marks a new, revolutionary chapter in our long history,” said Dr. Ute Wartenberg Kagan, Sydney F. Martin Executive Director, The American Numismatic Society. “Together with the renowned Toledo Museum of Art, we are creating innovative museum exhibits that highlight our significant coin and medal collection. We want to reach new audiences and develop an affordable, state-of-the-art museum space that supports our mission of research, education and public engagement. We also look forward to strengthening our academic study partnerships with local colleges and universities.”
Founded by a group of passionate collectors in New York in 1858, ANS has grown from humble beginnings as a coin club to a prominent museum and research institution. Its vast collection, ranked among the top four worldwide, includes nearly 800,000 coins, monetary objects, art medals, military orders and insignia, which together act as a gateway to history, providing an in-depth understanding of the cultural, economic, political and artistic aspects of societies around the world and across the centuries. ANS is home to the best numismatic library of all time and is also a major publisher of books on coins and medals. It is also leading the way in the digital transformation of numismatics by developing open access online tools and databases that connect coins and currencies worldwide to wider historical and humanistic research.
Adjacent to TMA and acquired from TMA, the four-story art deco building serves as ANS’s new home, with its own museum hall and flexible gallery spaces enabling the organization to host world-class exhibitions and showcase a wider range of its unique treasures, many of which have never been on public display.
ANS’s Toledo building houses a library, auditorium, and education center, providing more space for the proper care, study, and display of its ever-growing collections—of which more than 100,000 numismatic items have been added in the past twenty years alone, including the extensive archives of the Medallic Art Company, which was acquired in 2017. Together, these vastly expanded resources strengthen the organization’s position as a leading research center and reach a wider audience. With numismatics being one of the biggest interests, with approximately 150 million enthusiasts in the US alone, ANS will be an unparalleled destination not only for the local public and the TMA campus welcomes more than 300,000 visitors each year, but also for international travelers, as Metro Detroit is less than an hour away.
Through the new institutional partnership, objects from the ANS collection will be integrated into several of TMA’s permanent collection galleries, which are currently undergoing a major chronological re-installation to be unveiled in late 2027. TMA’s permanent collection exhibits will be conceptually and materially enhanced by these ANS additions, representing each everyday, reflecting a unique connection and congruence of events, social norms and economic behavior.
“We couldn’t be more excited as a museum and as a community to welcome the American Numismatic Society to our city as a neighbor,” commented Adam Levine, TMA’s Edward Drummond and Florence Scott Libbey President, Director and CEO. “TMA’s collection spans human history, but is characterized by a commitment to presenting only works of outstanding quality, making ANS the perfect partner to enrich the collection’s exhibits by integrating numismatic objects, while enhancing both the art historical experience for all visitors to our shared campus and research opportunities for scholars.”
In addition to this close partnership with TMA, ANS plans to collaborate with other local organizations and venues, advancing the organization’s ability to organize interdisciplinary exhibitions, conduct new research, and host events that current facilities in New York cannot support, such as major academic conferences and hands-on programs that demonstrate how money works and help participants develop practical financial skills for everyday life.