Founders to Futures

In 2024, the Museum debuted its new traveling exhibit, “Founders to Futures: A Collections Showcase from the Museum of American Finance.” The exhibit features some of the most unique, interesting and historical artifacts in the Museum’s collection.

The objects displayed in “Founders to Futures” represent a small selection of the tens of thousands of artifacts held by the Museum. Many documents have been signed by American political and business leaders from the 18th century through today, while other objects highlight technological innovations that have transformed the financial services industry. Many of the items have never before been exhibited, and together they offer insight into the nation’s financial systems, as well as the financial lives of extraordinary Americans. These artifacts represent more than 225 years of American financial history and achievement.

The eight-case exhibit features more than 60 documents and objects and has been designed for maximum flexibility to be shown in a variety of different spaces, from conferences to business schools and libraries to corporate offices. Sub-topics within the exhibit include “Financing the Revolution,” “Early American Finance,” “Alexander Hamilton’s Legacy,” “History of US Currency,” “The Rise of American Industry,” “The Great Depression,” “Evolution of Trading Technology” and “MoAF Collection Highlights.”

Among the objects on view are unique 18th-century financial documents signed by the nation’s founders, including George Washington, Alexander Hamilton, Benjamin Franklin and Patrick Henry; coins and paper currency dating from the 18th-20th centuries, including examples of high denomination notes; stock and bond certificates signed by financial luminaries and titans of industry, including Andrew Carnegie, JP Morgan, Hetty Green, Henry Ford and Thomas Edison; objects and documents pertaining to the 1929 stock market crash and the Great Depression; and several examples of technological innovations in the finance industry.

For information on “Founders to Futures,” or to book the exhibit at a venue or event, please contact David Cowen at dcowen@moaf.org.