48 Wall Street
New York, NY 10005
Tel: 212.908.4110
Fax: 212.908.4601
HOURS:
Open Tuesday – Saturday, 10 am – 4 pm
Closed national and stock market holidays.
Upcoming closings: Dec 24-25 and 31, and Jan 1.
DIRECTIONS:
By Subway: 2,3,4,5 to Wall Street; J,M to Broad Street;1,R,W to Rector Street
By Bus: M1, M6, M9, M15
The mu$eum of American Finance’s location in the heart of Wall Street is symbolic of its complete immersion in that crazy business world. From your very first step into the museum, you feel that it is penetrated with money and finance.
The first things that amazed me was the collection of money and the interactive history of currencies. I couldn’t believe that there were so many security features to the US Dollar that I had never noticed were there! Regardless, however, the history of counterfeiting, was shown to be just as long lasting.
Other displays provided comprehensive information on the baffling US Debt, stocks, bonds, commodities and markets. The information presented was challenging, but was made to be people-friendly. The use of pictures, diagrams and videos reinforced the text and made for a fun learning experience. I tried to take in as much as possible so that I could apply it in my future finance classes!
One of the museum’s most interesting aspects is the ability to superimpose Wall Street history and present. Across the room from the first Stock Market trading posts and the first picture of Wall Street was a huge timeline detailing the buildup to the current economic recession. This union of past and present underscored the continuity of finance and the close connection between the lessons of the past and the mistakes of the future.
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