Collecting coins is an interesting and fascinating activity, contributing to the expansion of horizons and erudition. As a rule, he is accompanied by the process of studying historical and social realities in which a particular coin was issued. Therefore, coin collections are systematized according to certain criteria - country, era, year of issue, etc. Let us get to know more closely this very common hobby.
Start of coin minting
Since the first coins in the world began to be minted in the Asia Minor city of Lydia in the 7th century BC, people immediately appeared who set themselves the goal of collecting them as much as possible, and some of them were very successful. As Ostap Bender said: “If there are any banknotes in the country, then there must be people who have a lot of them.” However, this form of collecting is not collection. It's about something else.
The first information that people saw in coins not only payment, but also aesthetic and artistic value, belong to the end of the 1st century AD. The first collector known to science was the ancient Roman emperor Augustus, collecting old and foreign coins and giving them to his close ones during the holidays.
Earliest coin collections
If we talk about the first collection of coins that has reached us, then it is, of course, the treasure found in the ancient Roman settlement of Vidi on the territory of present-day Switzerland. It contained seventy gold coins of various kinds. This indicates that they were a collection, and not ordinary cash accumulation.
It is also curious that in the 3rd century AD, Emperor Troyan Decius ordered a series of coins with portraits of his predecessors, deified emperors, who ruled over the past two and a half centuries, to be issued. The coins were minted, and the design of each of them exactly reproduced the original issued in previous centuries. To complete this task, collections of coins were needed , from which prototypes were taken for the work of chasers.
Hobby of kings
In Western Europe, coin collecting came into vogue in the fourteenth century, but then, because of the exorbitant cost, it becomes the lot of only very wealthy people. It is even called the "hobby of kings." In the historical period, called the Renaissance, the most famous collections of coins belonged to Pope Boniface VIII, the kings of France Louis XIV and Henry IV, the Holy Roman Emperor Maximilian, as well as Emperor Ferdinand I.
In the XVII and XVIII centuries, which went down in history as the Enlightenment, this type of collecting, while remaining a very expensive occupation, nevertheless acquires new features. They appear 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.
Then numismatics was born, which later became an academic discipline. By the way, it differs significantly from ordinary collectibles, although, at first glance, it is close to him. The main task of numismatics is to study the history of coinage and monetary circulation, which is an independent section of science.
The last centuries and our days
A qualitatively new stage in the history of coin collecting was the 19th and 20th centuries. This lesson is becoming more accessible and popular. There are numerous trading houses specializing in the sale of coins. Around the world, auctions and exhibitions are organized.
In recent decades, great opportunities for collectors have opened up with the advent and development of the Internet. Thanks to him, specialized sites provide an instant exchange of information between a large number of adherents of this hobby around the world, and auction sales are arranged. Modern technologies make it possible to auction entire collections of coins, the list of which and photos attract potential buyers.
The road to collecting
Practice shows that the beginning of many collections was ordinary coins that were in regular circulation. Sometimes they were brought from foreign trips or simply had some special features - for example, related to the anniversary issues or had a marriage in the manufacture. There are also cases when future collectors inherited any collections, and then, carried away, continued to replenish them. Gradually, this lesson became 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 specialization. They create collections of coins of specific countries, historical periods, or those that have a specific manufacturing feature. It's no secret that sometimes collecting becomes a form of increasing and maintaining personal capital. This is especially true during periods of economic crisis. In this case, the decisive role is played by how many coins are in the collection and what is their market value.
Treasure hunting and collecting
It is interesting 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. Collections of photo coins, which are presented in the article, will help our readers to make a visual representation of this fascinating lesson.