Don't spend money, collect them
 

Welcome to our coins Archive. Have fun browsing!

 

Article #197: How The Hobby of Collecting Coins Began

(Browse for more articles)

 
Very few things tell more about a country collection of valuable legal tender, is
in fewer words than the coins it widely thought to have begun with
produces. Coins hold a wealth of Francesco Petrarca, or Petrarch, who is
information on their small faces, from often called the father of the
the year of their birth to the language Renaissance. Although there is reason to
spoken at the time, from the metals a believe that Roman emperors and citizens
country holds valuable to the cultural paid prices higher than face value for
influences and historical figures that coins that were no longer in circulation,
its people hold valuable. Coins can also Petrarch was known to be an avid
be strikingly beautiful in their own collector, and often spoke of his
right, with the top designers of a nation collection in his writing. During the
striving to have their motif chosen for Renaissance, popes and nobility began
immortality on the face of a coin. With collecting coins for their artistic and
so much information and beauty contained historical value, and the name "the hobby
in so small a package, it is no surprise of kings" was born. So popular was the
that coin collecting has been a hobby pursuit and trade of ancient Greek and
nearly as long as the concept of coins Roman coins in this time period, that a
themselves. An understanding of the long brisk business in high-quality
history of coin collecting, once known as counterfeits sprang into being. Today,
"the hobby of kings," will make this these counterfeits even have a high
pastime even more enjoyable. value, due to their age, quality, and
The Origin of Coins and Coin Collecting historical significance.
The hobby of coin collecting began nearly Coin Collecting in Modern Times Coin
as soon as the first coins were minted in collecting has been a favorite pastime of
Asia Minor, around 650 B.C. Before that many people with a reverence for history,
time, gold and silver ingots were the including U.S. Presidents Thomas
most common form of legal tender. Because Jefferson and John Adams. The development
there was no standard, however, each of two large coin organizations in the
trade necessitated a careful weighing and mid-to-late 1800s, the American
examination of the precious metals being Numismatic Society (ANS) and the American
offered, and it was easy for unscrupulous Numismatic Association (ANA), helped
merchants to pass off a lesser quality of spark American interest in building and
gold in trade. Coins, which were printed maintaining a coin collection. Today,
on standardized weights of precious there has been an explosion in American
metals and stamped with a government interest in coin collecting, in large
guarantee of value, was the answer to part due to the ease and availability of
this unwieldy, easily sabotaged trading obtaining interesting coins. The U.S.
process. Within one hundred years, the Mint has successfully increased interest
concept of coins had been adopted by all in starting a coin collection through the
of the major trading cities in the minting of specialty coins, such as the
civilized world. bicentennial half dollars released in
At the beginning, coin collecting had a 1976 and the current release of quarters
very practical reason - there were no commemorating each of the fifty states.
banks in which to store money. People Coins and Coin Collecting,
hoarded coins as a way of safeguarding Your guide to getting the very best from
their wealth. Those coins that were your coin collection.
especially beautiful were hoarded the Coin collecting can be started as simply
longest, often being passed down within as getting a special state quarter for
families. your birthday. Or you may use a coin
Coin Collection in Renaissance Times collection to help you visualize the
Modern coin collecting, where the coins history of your state or country.
are viewed as a work of art as well as a






1 - A - B - C - D - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5 - 6 - 7 - 8 - 9 - 10 - 11 - 12 - 13 - 14 - 15 - 16 - 17 - 18 - 19 - 20 - 21 - 22 - 23 - 24 - 25 - 26 - 27 - 28 - 29 - 30 - 31 - 32 - 33 - 34 - 35 - 36 - 37 - 38 - 39 - 40 - 41 - 42 - 43 - 44 - 45 - 46 - 47 - 48 - 49 - 50 - 51 -