Messages on Metal. A Timeless Dialogue with Cyprus

16 October 2026 – 10 January 2027

The Leventis Municipal Museum of Nicosia and Alpha Bank Cyprus present the temporary exhibition “Messages on Metal. A Timeless Dialogue with Cyprus”,
bringing to Cyprus for the first time a significant section of the Alpha Bank Numismatic Collection, one of the largest and most important private numismatic collections internationally, comprising more than 11,000 coins.

The Alpha Bank exhibits are brought into dialogue with coins from the Numismatic Collection of The Leventis Municipal Museum of Nicosia, together with three selected coins from the Collection of the A. G. Leventis Gallery. This encounter highlights the long history of coinage in Cyprus and the island’s place within the political, economic and cultural itineraries of the Eastern Mediterranean.

Through a selection of coins spanning different periods and geographical regions, the exhibition explores coinage not only as a medium of exchange, but also as a bearer of history, narration and cultural memory. Representations, symbols and inscriptions engraved on metal tell stories of authority, identity, faith and social values, transforming each coin into a valuable historical artefact of the society that created it.

The exhibition comprises a total of 136 coins: 110 from the Alpha Bank Numismatic Collection, 23 from the Collection of The Leventis Municipal Museum of Nicosia
and 3 from the Collection of the A. G. Leventis Gallery. It is organised around three thematic sections — ‘Transactions’, ‘Narration’ and ‘Symbolism’ — exploring the evolution and use of coins, the stories and figures depicted on them, and the messages of identity and authority they have conveyed over the centuries.

The exhibition is jointly coordinated by Dr Tzeni Lymperopoulou Savvidou, Director of The Leventis Municipal Museum of Nicosia, and Dr Dimitra Tsangari,
Curator of the Alpha Bank Numismatic Collection. Dr Dimitra Tsangari is responsible for the museological study and curation of the exhibition.

The exhibition is accompanied by the bilingual publication “Messages on Metal. A Timeless Dialogue with Cyprus”, which serves as its scholarly and interpretative complement. A programme of lectures and guided tours, as well as educational activities for families with children and Primary and Secondary school students,
will run alongside the exhibition.

Duration: 16 October 2026 – 10 January 2027
Venue: The Leventis Municipal Museum of Nicosia
Opening hours: Tuesday – Sunday, 10.00 – 16.30
Closed on Mondays and public holidays.