Coin collections in past centuries and today

2024 Author: Sierra Becker | [email protected]. Last modified: 2024-02-26 03:45

Collecting coins is an interesting and exciting activity that contributes to the expansion of horizons and erudition. As a rule, it is accompanied by the process of studying the historical and social realities in which this or that coin was issued. Therefore, coin collections are systematized according to certain criteria - country, era, year of issue, etc. Let's take a closer look at this very common hobby.

Beginning of minting coins

Since the first coins in the world were minted in the 7th century BC in the Asia Minor city of Lydia, people immediately appeared who set themselves the goal of collecting as many of them as possible, and some were very successful in this. As Ostap Bender said: “If there are some banknotes in the country, then there must be people who have a lot of them.” However, this form of collecting is not collecting. It's about something else.

The first information that people saw in coins not only payment, but also aesthetic and artistic value, dates back to the end of the 1st century AD. The first collector known to science was the ancient Roman emperor Augustus, who collected ancientand foreign coins, and during the holidays he gave them to his entourage.

Earliest coin collections

If we talk about the first collection of coins that has come down to us, then it certainly is a treasure found in the ancient Roman settlement of Vidi in what is now Switzerland. It contained seventy gold coins of various kinds. This indicates that they were a collection, and not an ordinary cash accumulation.

It is also curious that in the 3rd century AD, Emperor Decius Trojan ordered the issue of a series of coins with portraits of his predecessors, the deified emperors who had ruled for the past two and a half centuries. The coins were minted, and the design of each of them exactly reproduced the original issued in previous centuries. To complete such a task, collections of coins were needed, from which prototypes were taken for the work of minters.

Hobby of kings

In Western Europe, coin collecting comes into vogue in the 14th century, but then, because of the exorbitant high cost, it becomes the lot of only very we althy people. It is even called the "hobby of kings". During the historical period called the Renaissance, the most famous collections of coins belonged to Pope Boniface VIII, Kings Louis XIV and Henry IV of France, Emperor Maximilian of the Holy Roman Empire, and Emperor Ferdinand I.

In the 17th and 18th centuries, which went down in history as the Age of Enlightenment, this type of collecting, while remainingstill a very expensive occupation, acquires, however, new features. They are manifested in a scientific and systematic approach to the selection of material. It is known that during this period the first collections of Russian coins appeared, which were also the property of the court elite.

At the same time, numismatics was born, which later became an academic discipline. By the way, it differs significantly from ordinary collecting, although, at first glance, it is close to it. The main task of numismatics is to study the history of coinage and money circulation, which is an independent branch of science.

Last centuries and our days

The 19th and 20th centuries became a qualitatively new stage in the history of coin collecting. This activity is becoming more accessible and popular. Numerous trading houses specializing in the sale of coins appear. Auctions and exhibitions are organized around the world.

In recent decades, great opportunities for collectors have opened up with the advent and development of the Internet. Thanks to him, on specialized sites, an instant exchange of information is carried out between a large number of adherents of this hobby around the world, and auction sales are arranged. Modern technologies make it possible to put up for auction entire collections of coins, the list of which and photographs attract potential buyers.

The road to collecting passion

Practice shows that the beginning of many collections were ordinary coins that were in regular circulation. Sometimesthey were brought from foreign trips or simply had some special features - for example, they belonged to anniversary issues or had a marriage in production. There are also cases when future collectors inherited some collections, and then, carried away, continued to replenish them. Gradually, this activity became more and more serious and meaningful.

If at an early stage collectors, as a rule, collect everything in a row, then over time, most of them choose some kind of their specialization. They create collections of coins of specific countries, historical periods, or those that have a certain manufacturing feature. It is also no secret that sometimes collecting becomes a form of increasing and preserving personal capital. This is especially true during periods of economic crisis. In this case, the determining role is played by how many coins are in the collection, and what is their market value.

Treasure hunting and collecting

It is curious to note that collecting coins sometimes provokes people to engage in treasure hunting. Such cases are not uncommon. This is mainly due to the desire to replenish the collection without any material costs, but sometimes the reason is deeper - an attempt to find truly unique artifacts. However, there are cases when successful treasure hunters become enthusiastic collectors. The photo coin collections presented in the article will help our readers get a visual idea of this exciting activity.