Collections of coins in the past centuries and in our days

Collecting coins is an interesting and fascinating occupation, contributing to the expansion of horizons and erudition. He, as a rule, accompanies the process of studying the historical and social realities in which this or that coin was issued. Therefore, collections of coins are systematized according to certain criteria - the country, the era, the year of production, etc. Let's get acquainted with this very common hobby.

Start coinage of coins

Since the beginning of the 7th century BC in the Asia Minor city of Lydia, the first coins in the world were minted, people immediately appeared who set out to collect them as much as possible, and some of them were very successful. As Ostap Bender said: "If there are any bank notes in the country, then there must be people who have a lot of them." However, this form of gathering is not a collection. It's about something else.

The first information about what people saw in coins, not only payment, but also aesthetic and artistic value, belong to the end of the 1st century AD. The first known science collector was the Roman emperor Augustus, collecting ancient and foreign coins and during the holidays gave them to his approximate.

Earliest collections of coins

If we talk about the first collection of coins that has survived to us, then, of course, it is a treasure found in the ancient Roman settlement of Vidi in the territory of present-day Switzerland. It contained seventy gold coins of various kinds. This indicates that they were a collection, and not an ordinary monetary accumulation.

It is also curious that in the third century AD Emperor Trojan Decius ordered the release of a series of coins with portraits of his predecessors - deified emperors who ruled over the past two and a half centuries. Coins were minted, and the design of each of them accurately reproduced the original, released in previous centuries. To perform this task, collections of coins were necessary, from which prototypes were taken for the work of the chasers.

Hobby of Kings

In Western Europe, collecting coins comes into fashion in the XIV century, but then because of the exorbitant high cost it becomes the lot of very wealthy people. It is even called the "hobby of kings". In the historical period, called the Renaissance, the most famous collections were coins belonging to the Pope Boniface VIII of Rome, the kings of France to Louis XIV and Henry IV, the emperor of the Holy Roman Empire Maximilian, and also to the emperor Ferdinand I.

In the XVII and XVIII centuries, which went down in history as the era of the Enlightenment, this kind of collectibles, while remaining a very expensive occupation, nevertheless acquires new features. They are manifested in a scientific and systematic approach to the selection of material. It is known that in this period the first collections of coins of Russia appear, also being the property of the court elite.

At the same time, numismatics is emerging, which later became an academic discipline. By the way, it is significantly different from conventional collectibles, although, at first glance, it is close to him. The main goal of numismatics is to study the history of monetary coinage and monetary circulation, which constitutes an independent division of science.

The last centuries and our days

A qualitatively new stage in the history of collecting coins became the 19th and 20th centuries. This lesson becomes 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, the opportunities for collectors have opened with the advent and development of the Internet. Thanks to him on specialized sites, instant information exchange between a large number of adherents of this hobby is carried out all over the world, and auction sales are arranged. Modern technology allows you to put up for sale whole collections of coins, the list of which and photos attract potential buyers.

The way to hobby for collecting

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

If, at an early stage, collectors, as a rule, collect everything in a row, in time, most of them choose their own specialization. They create collections of coins of specific countries, historical periods, or those that have a specific production feature. It is also not a secret that sometimes collecting becomes a form of increasing and preserving personal capital. This is especially true in times of economic crisis. In this case, the decisive role is played by how many coins in the collection, and what their market value is.

Treasure hunting and collecting

It is curious to note that collecting coins sometimes provokes people to engage in treasure hunt. 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 coins photos, which are presented in the article, will help our readers to make a visual representation of this fascinating lesson.