The Royal Numismatic Society is the UK’s foremost society for numismatics – the study of coins, medals and related currency items.
Founded in 1836 as The Numismatic Society of London, today’s Society is international in subject and membership (see History of the Society). Its lectures and publications deal with Classical, Asian, Medieval and Modern coins, paper money, tokens and medals. Fellows include scholars and enthusiasts from around the world.
The Society exists to support the study of numismatics and to promote scholarship on any subject related to numismatics. This includes running regular meetings, which are held on the third Tuesday of the month between October and June, usually at The Warburg Institute, from 6pm to 7.30pm. These meetings are open to all and include talks by senior figures in numismatic research as well as younger scholars.
In addition, the RNS produces a variety of publications on a range of numismatic subjects, including the Numismatic Chronicle, one of the most prestigious international venues for English-language publication on the subject.
The Society recognises achievements in numismatic scholarship via a range of honours and prizes and supports new research through its extensive range of grants, some general and some specific to particular areas of numismatic interest.