Dime museums were not exhibits of 10-cent coins, they were entertaining and (arguably) educational collections of strange objects, natural wonders, and exotic people, that were extremely popular in the 19th and early 20th Century. Admission typically cost a dime, hence the name.

At first, they were set up in theaters, circus midways, or store fronts, but in 1849, P.T. Barnum opened one of the first permanent dime museums in New York; it quickly became the most popular museum in the city. Barnum eventually abandoned the museum in 1868 to embark on his better-known circus career. Other famous dime museums include Ye Olde Curiosity Shop in Seattle and The Niagra Falls Museum in Canada (recently closed).

Dime museums are undergoing something of a renaissance these days. The American Dime Museum in Baltimore and Johnny Fox's Freakatorium in New York are two modern-day additions to the form.