Héctor Carlos Janson Numismatic and Historical Museum
The BCRA’s libraries, the Museum, and the Numismatic Issuances Stand will be temporarily closed to the public as a preventive measure in the context of the pandemic health emergency (DECNU-2021-867-APN-PTE - Prórroga).
In Argentina, there are a handful of words for money: guita, mosca, mango, gamba, palo, luca, tela, morlacos, and chirolas.
Do you happen to know where the expressions “no tengo un cobre” (“I have no single copper”) or “cuesta solo unas chirolas” (It is worth a few chirola coins) come from? Come to visit us and get the answer.
In the Museum, you will learn about the evolution of currency and the means of payment in Argentina from native people’s times to the present. The most valuable and complete collection of Argentine coins, made up of more than 20,000 pieces, is on display.
The Museum was opened on May 30, 1941. Subsequently, in 1968, it was named after the then BCRA Vice President—Dr. José Evaristo Uriburu (h)—who proved to be the driving force in its creation. In 2017, it changed its name to Héctor Carlos Janson, one of the most outstanding numismatics in Argentina who donated his collections.
The current building of the Museum is situated a few meters away from the Plaza de Mayo and was declared National Historical Monument in 2005. It originally housed the Buenos Aires Stock Exchange, designed by architects Henry Hunt and Hans Schröeder in 1862. Later, it was occupied by Caja de Conversión, the Office for National Public Lending and Banco Industrial, until it was finally transferred to the BCRA in 1942.
Director | Mabel Esteve
Deputy Directors | Gonzalo Lobos and Daniel Rey
Free admission
Monday to Friday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
San Martín 216, C1004AAF, Autonomous City of Buenos Aires.
(011) 4348-3882.