Human world
The numismatic collection was founded in 1865 with the purchase of 900 British coins and tokens from a local collector, Rupert Jackson. Sporadic growth followed, more through the acquisition of a series of collections than a defined collection policy.
The collection was quite badly affected by wartime destruction - there was looting as well as damage - but was transformed by the purchase of the Nelson collection in 1953. This included over 800 Anglo-Saxon and Norman coins, mainly from the York Mint. The total collection of nearly 18,000 items includes Greek, Roman, British, European and world coins as well as local and national medals and tokens.