On 9 May 1946, Victor Emmanuel III, who was about to go into exile, wrote to the then-Prime Minister Alcide de Gasperi stating his desire to leave his collection of coins to the Italian people.

Held at the Quirinal Palace and then at the Italian Institute of Numismatics, the collection was transferred to the National Roman Museum by means of a Decree-Law of 5 November 1968.

It was moved to the Museum and acquired by the Coin and Medal Collection in July 1971.

The collection represents a unique record of extraordinary historical and economic interest: it comprises more than 110.000 Italian minted coins, from the medieval and modern eras, and a significant number of monetary weights, proofs and mint scraps.