Exhibition “The Other Side of the Coin”

150 coins and selected historical evidence

The exhibition “The Other Side of the Coin” includes:

• 150 coins from the Alpha Bank Numismatic Collection that showcase the other side of coins. They capture faces and narrate events from Greek mythology and antiquity, while they also include figures and instances from the Roman and Byzantine eras.
• The Collection Timeline that lists the most significant events, and includes selected documents and photos that have sealed the progress and evolution of the Collection. They are a part of history, paying tribute to the memory of its founder, Yiannis S. Costopoulos.

A special educational corner with audiovisual apps and videos has also been set up. It includes digital games about coins as well as the 2 educational museum kits.

Aim of the exhibition

The exhibition aims to showcase the “Other Side of the Coin”, which transforms it from a utilitarian object into:

• A medium for communicating and transmitting messages.
• A snapshot immortalising persons and events.
• An artwork reflecting the artistic currents and the creative talent of its engravers during the period when it was put into circulation.

Coins have also been linked to the demonstration of power, and confirm independent political existence and autonomy. Besides, coins could only be issued by social groups empowered to institute their own laws – that is, they were autonomous, which derives from the Greek words auto = self and nomos = law.

Yiannis S. Costopoulos: The Numismatic Collection founder

Yiannis S. Costopoulos (1938-2021) was a prominent banker and the historic leader of the Alpha Bank Group. Having studied Naval Architecture at King’s College in the UK, he embarked on his career at the Commercial Credit Bank in 1963. From 1996 to 2005 he served as Chairman of the Board and CEO of Alpha Bank. In 2014 he received the title of Honorary Chairman of the Board.

Owing to his great passion for Greek culture, in 1972 Yiannis Costopoulos purchased the numismatic collections of A. Andreopoulos and A. Meletopoulos, starting off the Alpha Bank Numismatic Collection. From 1984 to 2015, the Collection was enriched with another 7 private collections. Meanwhile, it expanded continuously with purchases of coins on auction abroad.

Contributors

Exhibition curator: Dr Dimitra Tsangari, numismatist and curator of the Alpha Bank Numismatic Collection.

Artistic and architectural design: Stamatis Zannos.

Educational graphics: Elias Chatzichristodoulou, founder of the Athens Digital Arts Festival.

The exhibition is accompanied by the publication The Other Side of the Coin: Persons – Images – Moments. It was edited by Dr Dimitra Tsangari.

Buy the publication The Other Side of the Coin: Persons – Images – Moments on the Alpha Bank e-shop.

Virtual exhibition tour

You can take a virtual tour of the exhibition through your smartphone, tablet, laptop or desktop.

The user-friendly and visually appealing virtual environment we have created offers you the opportunity to explore the exhibition as if you were there, and visit the display cases with all the exhibits.

Above each exhibit, there is an icon with a magnifying glass. Once you click on it, the artwork appears in an enlarged view, allowing you to admire every detail.

Enjoy the virtual tour of the exhibition on "The Other Side of the Coin".

Guided tours and seminars

A total of 37 side events were organised during the exhibition. Some of them included:

• Guided tours for members of clubs, associations and foundations.
• Guided tours for representatives of the media and associations for the disabled.
• Guided tours for our management, staff and clients.
• Numismatic seminars for Archaeology students from universities in Greece and abroad, in partnership with the University of Athens and the National Hellenic Research Foundation.

Guided tours for persons with visual impairment

In partnership with the Lighthouse for the Blind of Greece, we hosted special events and provided suitable equipment for persons with visual impairment during the guided tours.

Specifically, the exhibition area was equipped with:

• Special 3D mock-up of the space.
• Enlarged coin replicas.
• Captions and special edition of the catalogue in Braille.
• Suitably recorded audio-descriptive guides.

Guided tours for persons with mobility impairment

In partnership with the Panhellenic Association of Paraplegics, we received an accessibility certification for persons with mobility impairment.

We made sure the display cases and wall texts were placed at the correct height, and access was unobstructed.

Guided tours for persons with hearing impairment

Hands Up, the first sign-language interpreting agency in Greece, provided Greek sign-language interpreting during special guided tours.

In addition, the audiovisual material available at the exhibition was fully accessible to the deaf and hard of hearing.

Guided tours for the elderly

We partnered with NPO SeveEleven to design and run the special inclusive activity “Heads or Tails – a numismatic adventure” for persons aged 65+ and persons with mild cognitive impairment.

We ran the activity 3 times. Friends of the Basil & Elise Goulandris Foundation, people from Open Care Centres for the elderly and parents of Alpha Bank employees participated in the guided tours.

Guided tour for children

We organised a special tour for kids interested in history and culture, and invited children from the Children Support Centre of Elefsis.

The young visitors got acquainted with coins and their evolution from antiquity to the present day, through experiential learning activities, specially designed digital games and material from the Numismatic Collection’s educational programmes.

Awareness events

We ran a special event, which included a private tour of the museum, for representatives of the media and associations for the disabled.

The events aimed to raise awareness among the general public on accessibility and inclusion issues.

Training for our people

We organised the special “With eyes shut” blindness simulation tour for our staff. The aim was to raise awareness among our people, and familiarise them on disability and accessibility issues.

We also ran an experiential educational seminar for employees of the Numismatic Collection, Alpha Bank Corporate Social Responsibility and Basil & Elise Goulandris Foundation.

The participants learned all about the best techniques to approach, accompany, assist and tour visitors with visual impairment through cultural venues.

The exhibition “The Other Side of the Coin” was open from 03.05.2023 to 23.07.2023 and welcomed more than 2,500 visitors, who came into contact with the multiple role of coins.

It ran its course in Athens and left an indelible mark as the first fully accessible exhibition by Alpha Bank.

To find our more about the exhibition, read the Press Releases:

• Exhibition announcement (only available in Greek).
• Press Conference and detailed description of the exhibition.
• Regarding the fully accessible nature of the exhibition (only available in Greek).
• Review (only available in Greek).