The choice of numismatics as an interesting hobby usually develops into a life-long affair. This is an exciting and interesting activity that allows you to collect works of art and study the history of each individual exhibit.
The science of money development
Numismatics studies money as objects that at different times had different shapes and values. The value of a coin as a historical evidence was understood in antiquity, but the systematic development of the study of coins began only at the end of the eighteenth century. The Austrian priest Joseph Hilarius Eckel wrote the work Doctrina Numorum Veterum (Doctrine of the Ancients) in eight volumes (Vienna, 1793-1799), where an attempt was made to examine all the coins of ancient Greek and Roman minting. After a while, Eckel’s work was reworked by other researchers.
This gave an impetus to the scientific phenomenon of numismatics. What is the study of the great numismatic collections, learned in Europe. The systematization of knowledge began, catalogs appeared. Numismatics stepped from Austria to other countries, like science, into well-known universities under the supervision of experienced historians and archaeologists. At the end of the 1850s, antique societies with a specialization in the study of coins arose.
How to become a numismatist
Knowledge is the main tool for collecting coins. Along with them comes the desire for an in-depth study of the development of money in the world. Everyone can become a numismatist and engage in a pleasant and useful hobby. Numismatics is a science that studies how money has evolved over the years. To engage in this exciting business, you just need to start researching the method of collecting coins. There are various organizations and associations to which you can join. But this is not necessary in order to consider yourself a numismatist. Once you have decided to study and collect coins, you must first understand that your collection will never be complete.
Interesting hobby
Start your new hobby by reading about different types of coins, study their history.
- Learn about the different materials from which coins were made.
- Examine the causes and factors of the formation of their value. With the accumulation of knowledge of history, you can find out that the value of an old coin does not always depend on its antiquity.
- Pay attention to the production date of each coin and additional information about its rarity.
- If the date is erased, the rarity of the coin is determined by the engraved image.
- It must be remembered that cleaning a coin can reduce its value.
- Find out what a “remake” in numismatics is? Especially for numismatists they make copies of coins with various finishes, characteristic of different eras. I call such products a remake. Sometimes this term is applied to fakes.
- Continuation of the study of the history and significance of coins.
What is a coin?
First of all, you need to have an idea of the meaning of the term "coin". This is a piece of metal or other material, certified by a sign that defines the face value. All these data are determined by documents issued by the executive branch to issue money. The most obvious physical attribute of a coin is the material from which it was produced - it is almost always, up to the present, metal. In ancient times, even wood, bone was used. The metals selected for minting should be in sufficient quantities to provide mints with raw materials. The choice of material ranged from culture to culture. In China, the first choice of metal fell on copper, in India - silver, in many countries they used an alloy of gold and silver (electrum) or silver. Typically, English terms are used in the description of the coin, but standard catalogs almost everywhere use abbreviations that come from the Latin language. For example, A.V. (Aurum) is gold, AR (Argentum) is silver, AE (AES) is copper or its alloys. Coins made using the Pruff technology are especially interesting for numismatists. What is proof in numismatics? On an absolutely smooth polished shiny field of the coin is a matte legend made in contrasting color. The inscriptions are placed at right angles to the field, and traces of polishing material are often visible. During the production of a coin, two or more strokes were made. Collectors carefully store such exhibits in order to preserve shine and dullness.
How in ancient times did coins
Each ancient coin was handcrafted. Metal, whether it be bronze, silver or gold, is poured into molds to produce flans - blanks. They were cooled, heated below the melting point and placed in a matrix. The image of metal for transferring to a coin was called the lot. The second die in the form of an image was knocked out on the other side of the workpiece. Matrices were cut by hand and consisted of a pair of parts. Engravers had different qualifications, so coins of the same type may have stylistic differences from coins of another series of issue. Coin names often came from the name of a ruler or money making technology. On the question of the name “penny,” numismatics believes that the name comes from the image on the obverse of St. George the Victorious with a spear, later a simple rider appeared, but also with a spear. It is believed that a small money was christened among the people in honor of the spear.
How coins are described in catalogs
In ancient times, a common way of making money was minting coins of a specified weight from a certain alloy, which is called face value. Numismatics believes that such a comparison of the weight of each series can determine the standard of coins, which can be essential for the chronology or attribution of a particular product. A field is an area on the surface of a coin around the inscriptions that provides the background. It is often divided into left and right. One of its parts has its own name. This is a term that originates in the Greek language from the words "ex" and "ergon" and means belonging to the mint. There is a legend for the catalog. This term comes from the form of the Latin verb "Lego", which means "for reading." It describes the contents of the coin. A legend can indicate the authority that issued the document for minting, designate a mint, describe inscriptions and images. Labels and signs can surround or frame images and continue to be trimmed. According to numismatics, such an addition is called attributes and adjuncts.
Do you need knowledge of terminology
Ancient coins have been collected by collectors for centuries. Longer than the current owners of these treasures. Many old coins on the market are sold to collectors by the heirs of other collectors.
Attributes or nimbuses are called complements to the image in the form of a wreath or diadem, scepter or palm branch, drapery, headgear, branch, cornucopia, ball, spear. The adjunct is usually on the field or in the inscription. In the description, the images are listed from left to right after the description of the central figure. The need for terminology is recognized by numismatics that such a necessary division into the terms obverse and reverse, or “eagle” and “tails” to the front and back of a coin helps to describe the exhibits. None of these pairs has anything to do with the coin production technique. It is important to know what is shown on the front matrix and on its back. The history of the origin of the coins and to whom they belonged before may cost more than the collection itself. Especially if the exhibits came from a well-known collector or at auction.
What material is used in collections
Many old coins are found in controlled archaeological sites. Numismatics of Russia demonstrates most of them in museum collections. Ancient coins that are offered on the market today were found mainly in the group of treasures. These are exhibits that were lost or buried in antiquity and were found by amateurs with metal detectors near archaeological sites. In ancient times there were no banks. Feeling danger, the owners of wealth simply buried them in the ground. Some countries prohibit searching for ancient coins with a metal detector. Some states have laws that allow seekers of such treasures to preserve or sell part or all of what they find, and this is the source of antiquities on the market today.