In some museums in Europe, one can find truly unique archaeological artifacts: ancient Egyptian stones with hieroglyphs, scrolls from the Roman Empire, gold jewelry from antiquity, figurines, canvases, and much more. In Russia, one of those who collected a rare collection of ancient coins was Pavel Vasilyevich Zubov.

He led the chemical laboratory at Moscow University, but his second passion was numismatics. Initially, he focused on ancient Russian coins, trying to prevent their export abroad and sometimes overpaying for them. Over time, Zubov became interested in other artifacts, including coins from Ancient Greece and the Sasanian Empire. He studied each find meticulously, researching not only its antique value but also the composition of the alloys, involving leading specialists in his work. He received significant help from Alexey Markov, an employee of the Hermitage. In 1908, he noted: "Thanks to Zubov's energy, tireless work, and generosity, an unprecedented completeness of series has been achieved. It can be said that if the collections of Berlin, the Hermitage, and Paris were combined, excluding duplicates, Pavel Vasilyevich's collection would still be larger in number of specimens."

Over time, Zubov, as a recognized specialist in numismatics, began receiving offers from India, France, and the Ottoman Empire to purchase their collections. Thus, ancient coins found their way to Russia. Additionally, Pavel Zubov collected violins by Stradivari, Amati, Ruggeri, and Guarneri.

This collection nearly vanished after the October Revolution of 1917 when his family was ordered to leave their home within two days. Zubov's son, Vasily, recalled: "My agitated father argued with the evictors: So what does it mean, to put the whole collection in a bag? I can understand this during an enemy invasion. But why here? To destroy not only my work but that of dozens of specialists." However, part of the collection was managed to be transferred to the Historical Museum, and Pavel Zubov's years of hard work did not go in vain.