We all face metal money every day. Each person has coins in his wallet, pocket, piggy bank at home on a shelf. People pay with iron money in stores, at coffee machines and a lot where else. But not many people think what a long historical path the coin has traveled to appear before us today in the form in which we are accustomed to see it. This article will highlight the main milestones in the development of iron money, and also you will learn how and what coins are made of.
Coin history
The first coins replaced barter commodity relations and “weighted” money in the second millennium BC. The metal money of that time, cast in bronze, became the progenitors of the coins that we use now.
Due to the fact that China was an isolated country in those days, the rest of the world found out about minted money only in the 7th century BC. Initially, the technology was mastered by the countries of Asia, where it gained popularity over time, then a new type of money gradually took root in Greece, Rome and a number of other major powers, which subsequently popularized this type of money.
What were coins made of?
As already mentioned, the first coins were made of bronze, that is, an alloy of tin and copper. The cost of such money was not very high, but it was an established monetary unit, which already had a certain weight. In its immediate homeland, in China, this type of money was one of the most popular. However, time passed, banknotes became increasingly popular and then, in order to increase the value of coins, they began to be cast from precious metals: silver and gold.
And here it is worth mentioning that work with precious metals at that time was always accompanied by constant doubts, since it was not possible to verify a genuine test of gold and silver. Therefore, in order to once and for all remove the question of what coins are made of, the state emblems began to be marked on them, thereby proving the purity of the material. Such a move with the introduction of expensive metals greatly enhanced the influence of the coin in the states, however, along with gold and silver coins, there were less expensive coins in use: copper, bronze, lead and even iron. Of course, their cost was very different, in addition, the coin of each individual state varied in its composition.
Such a variety of coins and their value, according to historians, has led to the fact that today we have banknotes of personal denominations, which also differ in value from state to state.
Modern materials
Now the question arises of what alloy Russian modern coins are made of. And this question, alas, cannot be answered unequivocally, since coins of different denominations - a ruble, two rubles, five, ten, as well as coins of 10 and 50 kopecks - are made of different materials. So, for the manufacture of coins in Russia, steel, cupronickel, nickel, brass, copper and several other additives are used.
Coin Material
- Ruble and two coins are made of chrome steel with an electroplated coating of nickel, which gives the product a characteristic whitish hue. However, until 2009, coins were made from an alloy of nickel and copper.
- Coin production of 10 rubles is carried out according to a similar principle: steel with a high content of chromium and galvanic coating, but this time from brass.
- Five-ruble coins were previously made by cladding of copper with cupronickel. This means that a cupronickel coating was rolled onto the copper base of the coin under pressure and using high temperatures. However, over time, clad coins faded into the background. Nickel-plated money began to be issued, which is generally similar to one and two ruble coins.
- What do coins of 10 and 50 kopecks make of? For some time they were made only of brass, which was expensive, then they began to use cladding with a brass-copper alloy, and nowadays they use brass electroplating to produce these coins.
Coin making
Now plunge into the process. If the question of what coins are made of is over, the question of how they are made remains open.
Coin production begins, oddly enough, not with metal and the press. First of all, a sketch of the future product is made, and then a detailed gypsum form is created on its basis, on which special attention is paid to small details. Then this form is placed under a special device, which with high accuracy and on the right scale transfers the pattern from the gypsum workpiece to the metal. After that, verification and adjustment of minor defects is carried out and only after that a matrix is produced on the basis of a metal stamp. Next, the matrix is placed in a stamped machine, where pre-cut and polished workpieces are fed. The resulting coins are then additionally either coated with nickel and polished, or given to electroplating and then polished.
Collectible coins of Russia
In addition to the already mentioned banknotes, the country's mints produce something that only at first glance looks like a simple coin. We are talking about the collectibles of numismatists - collectible coins, which every now and then are issued in honor of any memorable event or date. Their main value lies in the fact that they are often made of real precious metals, they also have a unique appearance and are often produced in extremely limited series, which only increases their cost.