Museum of American Finance

The Museum of American Finance, an affiliate of the Smithsonian Institution, is the nation’s only independent public museum dedicated to preserving, exhibiting and teaching about American finance and financial history. Inspired by the Stock Market Crash of 1987 and the absence of institutional memory within the financial community, the Museum was founded the following year in order to provide access to historical and educational resources. Today, as the investing public grows and the impact of market forces pervades all aspects of life, the Museum provides a context and a forum for better understanding the players, processes and forces through which the capital and commercial markets create growth and opportunity. With more than 10,000 artifacts in its permanent collection, the Museum holds the nation’s largest museum archive of financial documents and objects. It has moved from its former home at 48 Wall Street.