The History of Ancient Coins An Introduction

By: Andrew Martin

It is hard to pinpoint the beginning of the coin collecting hobby. However, some people claim that it began sometime after 650 B.C. when the first coins were minted. Gold, silver, and other precious metals were once carefully weighed and then used in exchange for other goods. There were some dishonest dealers who tried to pass out a lower quality of metals. Because of this that system of trade was eventually replace by coins that were made of gold using a standard weight. Coins soon became the accepted form of payment for goods.

The Greeks started to commission faces and other figure to put on their coins something in the fifth century. Representations of gods, goddesses, and other mythical heroes were often used. Instead of using simple representations, Alexander the Great began commissioning realistic designs to use on coins.
A fourteenth century Italian scholar and poet, Francesco Petrarca, is credited with being the first coin collector. He brought a lot of attention to the hobby of coin collecting.

Because of its art and value, the hobby became popular with many people, including several popes during the Renaissance period. Many people soon turned the hobby into a passion. Evidence would suggest that coins were also being collected by some Roman emperors who use to pay more than the face value of coins in circulation. Some of the nobility in the renaissance began to call coin collecting "The Hobby of Kings". Some other famous coin collectors include, Louis XIV of France, Ferdinand I, and Henry IV of France. The Berlin coin cabinet was started by Elector Joachim II of Bradenburg.

Detroit, Michigan was the birthplace of the first international convention for coin collectors held from August 15 - August 18, 1962. The American Numismatic Association and the Royal Canadian Numismatic Association were the sponsors. There were some 40,000 people who attended.

In 1792, the United States passed the Coinage Act and officially started minting coins. The act served to make the United States dollar the official unit of currency throughout the states. The mint to make US coins was the Philadelphia Mint. It minted the US Silver Dollar. In 1906, the Denver Mint became active. The West Point Mine and the San Francisco Mint produce mostly gold coins and proof sets. Every coin minted in the United States is marked with a P, D, S, W based on the mint where it was created.

Today, there are millions of coin collecting hobbyists. There are even a number of museums that exhibit special collections of rare and valuable coins. There is the Smithsonian in Washington D. C. and the American Numismatic Society in New York City. The ANS was established in 1891 to promote education about the coin collecting hobby. Finding something rare and valuable is quite the thrill for many numismatist. But they also enjoy the coins for the beauty and history that they represent.

Author Resource:-> Andrew Martin is a coin collecting enthusiast and publisher. For more great information on the history of ancient coins be sure to visit http://www.coincollectcenter.com.

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