Counterfeiting has been a travelling companion of coinage right from the very start. The issuing authorities have combated it with the law, through punitive measures, and with technology, encouraging the improvement of the minting of coinage. Additionally, in each period practical methods for exposing forgeries have also been introduced. The exhibition sheds light on this true clandestine story but way of some of the most notable pieces featuring in this long, continuous and exciting adventure stretching from Antiquity to the present day.

The first section presents counterfeiting in Hispanic Antiquity, from the earliest fractions forged by the Greeks at Empúries to the false coins made by Iberians and Romans. It also reveals the appearance of extremely harsh Roman and Visigothic legislation against forgers. The second section is devoted to counterfeiting and the clipping and debasement of metal in the Middle Ages. In order to control forgeries and the falsifying of the legal weight of legitimate pieces, the use of scales and specific weights spread. The third section takes a look at counterfeiting in the modern age. The mechanization of coinage manufacture was introduced in this period and the edges of coins were milled to avoid pieces being clipped off. In the fourth and final section the focus shifts to the contemporary period and the forging of banknotes and payment cards. Lastly, another type of modern counterfeiting is presented: the copying of old coins for the purpose of deceiving collectors.

Exhibition catalogue: La moneda falsa de l'antiguitat a l'euro