Temporary exhibition
Plastic Money: the extraordinary history of bank cards
Between December 1, 2023 and May 19, 2024
More information para info@museudodinheiro.pt or +351 213 213 240
When we think of the Money Museum, we think of notes and coins, but money has long stopped being just cash.
Transformation driven by technological advancement and shifts in consumer preferences has led to new digital solutions that have changed the way we pay.
Swiping a card to pay for something is now a banal gesture. This small plastic rectangle has become a part of everyday life, but where did it come from? How did bank cards emerge, in Portugal and around the world?
This history dates back to new forms of consumption emerging in the late 19th century, and the contrast between traditional trade and the American precursors of modern credit, an innovation by the large department stores and other companies.
This transformation led to the creation in the 20th century, of credit cards associated with brands still recognised today, such as Diners Club, Visa or MasterCard.
In Portugal, the introduction of credit cards marked the gradual opening and innovation of the economy, a story that reflects different historical events that shaped life here before the euro, and even before the end of the dictatorship on 25 April 1974.
This is an unfinished story, ever more interesting to students and collectors.
Temporary exhibition
Plastic Money: the extraordinary history of bank cards
Between December 1, 2023 and May 19, 2024
More information para info@museudodinheiro.pt or +351 213 213 240
When we think of the Money Museum, we think of notes and coins, but money has long stopped being just cash.
Transformation driven by technological advancement and shifts in consumer preferences has led to new digital solutions that have changed the way we pay.
Swiping a card to pay for something is now a banal gesture. This small plastic rectangle has become a part of everyday life, but where did it come from? How did bank cards emerge, in Portugal and around the world?
This history dates back to new forms of consumption emerging in the late 19th century, and the contrast between traditional trade and the American precursors of modern credit, an innovation by the large department stores and other companies.
This transformation led to the creation in the 20th century, of credit cards associated with brands still recognised today, such as Diners Club, Visa or MasterCard.
In Portugal, the introduction of credit cards marked the gradual opening and innovation of the economy, a story that reflects different historical events that shaped life here before the euro, and even before the end of the dictatorship on 25 April 1974.
This is an unfinished story, ever more interesting to students and collectors.
Exhibition credits
Project management
Museu do Dinheiro – Banco de Portugal
Scientific board and curatorship
Agostinho Campos Ferreira
Joaquim da Costa Leite
Ana Rita Canavarro, Banco de Portugal
Margarida Sampayo, Banco de Portugal
Rui Pimentel, Banco de Portugal
Exhibition and product design
Manuel Ribeiro, Banco de Portugal
Graphic and communication design
Unidade de Design – Banco de Portugal
Learning and interpretation
Daniela Viela (coordenação), Banco de Portugal
Multitrab
Communication
Mafalda Vian Santos, Banco de Portugal
Margarida Sampayo, Banco de Portugal
Preventive conservation
Ana Leonor Mata, Banco de Portugal
Translations
Centro de Tradução – Banco de Portugal
Printing
Foco Criativo
Shipping
FEDEX
Insurance
Hiscox
Installation, lighting and production
Departamento de Serviços de Apoio – Banco de Portugal
Momentelegante
Opertec
Security
Prosegur
Lenders to the exhibition
Agostinho Campos Ferreira
David Strømstad
Pedro Fangueiro
Richard Hudson
Scott Nimmo
Arquivo Histórico do Banco de Portugal
Arquivo RTP
Barclays Group Archives
Deutsche Bank
Extruplás
Fundação Mário Soares e Maria Barroso
Natwest Group Archives
SIBS