Alpha Bank – Culture: Our store

Significant publications and coin replicas

The store opened in January 2011 and sells:

• Books published by Alpha Bank and the J.F. Costopoulos Foundation. They encompass the publications of the 3 banks that make up present-day Alpha Bank (Credit Bank, Ionian and Popular Bank and Commercial Bank of Greece) since 1957. The publications cover topics such as the economy, history, arts, archaeology, architecture, folklore, theatre and music.
• Replicas of ancient coins from the Alpha Bank Numismatic Collection, one of the most important ones internationally. It boasts around 11,000 ancient Greek, Roman and Byzantine coins.

It also showcases all the Alpha Bank cultural activities, especially those organised by its Collections.

The alphapolitismos e-shop has been up and running since 2016.

Stater 360²

The Stater 360² interactive system also runs within the Alpha Bank – Culture store. It is a unique application, hosted in Athens since 2016, under the auspices of the Alpha Bank Numismatic Collection. It gives people the chance to become familiar with selected ancient coins from the Collection.

The Stater 360² programme consists of a revolving metal disc depicting 20 coins. The coins can be projected in high-resolution magnification, by selecting a coin each time and examining it under a magnifying glass.

The Alpha Bank – Culture store is located in the Nikoloudi Arcade, which connects Panepistimiou Street to Stadiou Street. It is one of the most well-known commercial and historic arcades of Athens, at a central point in the heart of the city.

The arcade was one of the most significant works by Alexandros Nikoloudis (1874-1944), a major architect of the 1900-1940 period. It is marked by its European flair, along with the Arsakeio Arcade and the Mela-Kostopoulou Arcade, designed by Ernst Ziller. Its design mirrors that of London's commercial arcades.

J.F. Costopoulos Foundation publications

The publications that accompany the art exhibitions and other cultural events organised by the J.F. Costopoulos Foundation are one of the main activities undertaken by the Alpha Bank – Culture store.

The publishing activity of the J.F. Costopoulos Foundation started in 1997 with the groundbreaking book on painter Jannis Kounellis’ exhibition in Piraeus. More publications followed, mainly catalogues for exhibitions of renowned Greek artists who lived and worked abroad, such as Daphne Costopoulos, Lucas Samaras and Stephen Antonakos.

Photography exhibition hosted onsite

The Alpha Bank – Culture store has hosted the photography exhibitions:

• “Journey to the Islands. The Numismatic Evidence” – The exhibition showcased ancient coins of the Collection from the Ionian islands, the islands of Northeastern Aegean, the Cyclades, Crete and the Dodecanese. It was the 1st one to be held and ran from 2011 to 2013.
• “Athenian Owl” – An ancient coin exhibition that ran for 2 years (2013-2015) and presented the history of silver coinage in Athens. It started off with the first coins minted in the mid-6th century BCE.