VISITING THE BOSTON MUSEUM OF AMERICAN FINANCE

 

Centuries-old currency, no longer in circulation. Paul Revere's bank book. One of the earliest counterfeit checks. The first lottery in North America, started in Massachusetts. Stock certificates from the Boston Celtics and the Boston Red Sox. These are among the hundreds of historical artifacts featured in the new Museum of American Finance, a Smithsonian affiliate opening in Boston's Seaport.

The challenge is interpreting these artifacts for visitors and connecting them to the larger story of finance in America, said museum CEO and President David Cowen.

"We know finance is really intimidating and so we're going to couch that in the lessons of history," said Cowen. "We try to really make it fun and engaging with the understanding of how difficult for many people finances is as topic."

Take for example, a document crafted by Alexander Hamilton, fought over in the room where it happened, as described in the Broadway musical bearing his name, that laid out his vision for how the new nation should handle its debts from the Revolutionary War.

"Hamilton writes that saying it's a moral obligation that we should assume all this debt. And that is the creation of our national debt. There's a direct line from this to today's $39 trillion," said Cowen. "Now, this is 16,316 words. We boil it down to six words: It was the price of liberty."

 

The museum guides guests through three centuries of financial history in the United States.

An exhibit providing an interactive timeline was developed with guest curator Mark Higgins, author of "Investing in US Financial History."

"I wrote this over three and a half years, and I walked my way to the present over three and a half years and you just see the same things repeating over and over. The technology changes, the situations change a little, but it's the same human stories. And once you understand that, the present and the future becomes a lot less scary," said Higgins.

From there, the museum explores the future of finance, explaining cryptocurrencies, blockchain and more.

For more information on the Museum American Finance, see:
https://www.moaf.org/

To read the complete article, see:
Boston's new Museum of American Finance teaches visitors about money (https://www.nbcboston.com/news/local/new-museum-of-american-finance-teaches-visitors-about-money/3975277/)

To read other articles, see:
Don't throw away your shot to speak to an AI Alexander Hamilton at Boston's new finance museum (https://www.cnbc.com/2026/07/03/the-museum-of-american-finance-opens-its-doors-in-boston.html)
An AI Alexander Hamilton? JFK's blank check? Museum of American Finance shows off the history of money. (https://www.bostonglobe.com/2026/07/05/business/museum-of-american-finance/)

To read earlier E-Sylum articles, see:
THE MUSEUM OF AMERICAN FINANCE IS MOVING (https://www.coinbooks.org/v22/esylum_v22n08a23.html)
BOSTON MUSEUM OF AMERICAN FINANCE OPENS (https://www.coinbooks.org/v28/esylum_v28n15a11.html)
MORE ON BOSTON MUSEUM OF AMERICAN FINANCE (https://www.coinbooks.org/v28/esylum_v28n16a20.html)

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