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Electrum coin from Ephesus, 520-500 BCE. Obverse: Forepart of stag. Reverse: Square incuse punchNumismatics is the study or collection of currency, including coins, tokens, paper money, medals, and related objects.
Specialists, known as numismatists, are often characterized as students or collectors of coins, but the discipline also includes the broader study of money and other means of payment used to resolve debts and exchange goods.
The earliest forms of money used by people are categorised by collectors as "odd and curious", but the use of other goods in barter exchange is excluded, even where used as a circulating currency (e.g., cigarettes or instant noodles in prison). As an example, the Kyrgyz people used horses as the principal currency unit, and gave small change in lambskins; the lambskins may be suitable for numismatic study, but the horses are not.[dubious – discuss] Many objects have been used for centuries, such as cowry shells, precious metals, cocoa beans, large stones, and gems. (Full article...)
This is a featured article, which represents some of the best content on English Wikipedia..The
Morgan dollaris a
United States dollar coinminted from 1878 to 1904, in 1921, and beginning again in 2021 as a collectible. It was the first standard silver dollar minted since the passage of the
Coinage Act of 1873, which ended the
free coining of silverand the production of the previous design, the
Seated Liberty dollar. It contained 412.5
Troy grainsof 90% pure silver (or 371.25 Troy grains = 24.057 g; 0.7734 ozt of pure silver). The coin is named after its designer, United States Mint Assistant Engraver
George T. Morgan. The
obversedepicts a profile portrait representing
Liberty, modeled by
Anna Willess Williams, while the reverse depicts an eagle with wings outstretched. The mint mark, if present, appears on the reverse above between D and O in "Dollar".
The dollar was authorized by the Bland–Allison Act. Following the passage of the 1873 act, mining interests lobbied to restore free silver, which would require the Mint to accept all silver presented to it and return it, struck into coin. Instead, the Bland–Allison Act was passed, which required the Treasury to purchase between two and four million dollars' worth of silver at market value to be coined into dollars each month. In 1890, the Bland–Allison Act was repealed by the Sherman Silver Purchase Act, which required the Treasury to purchase 4,500,000 troy ounces (140,000 kg) of silver each month, but only required further silver dollar production for one year. This act, once again, was repealed in 1893. (Full article...)
The
Sacagawea dollar(also known as the "
golden dollar") is a United States
dollar coinintroduced in 2000, but subsequently minted only for niche circulation from 2002 onward. The coin generally failed to meet consumer and business demands but it is still generally accepted in circulation.
These coins have a copper core clad by manganese brass, giving them a distinctive golden color. The coin features an obverse designed by Glenna Goodacre of Sacagawea, the Shoshone guide of the Lewis and Clark Expedition, carrying her child. From 2000 to 2008, the reverse featured an eagle design by Thomas D. Rogers. Since 2009, the reverse of the Sacagawea dollar has been changed yearly, with each design in the series depicting a different aspect of Native American cultures. These coins are marketed as "Native American dollars". (Full article...)
The
Cleveland Centennial half dollaris
a commemorative United States half dollarstruck at the
Philadelphia Mintin 1936 and 1937, though all bear the earlier date. Sometimes known as the
Cleveland Centennial Great Lakes Exposition half dollar, it was issued to mark the 100th anniversary of
Cleveland, Ohio, as an incorporated city, and in commemoration of the
Great Lakes Exposition, held in Cleveland in 1936.
In the mid-1930s, commemorative coins were increasing in value, and Cincinnati businessman Thomas G. Melish, a coin collector, lobbied Congress to authorize several new issues, of which he would be the sole distributor. He was successful with the Cincinnati Musical Center half dollar, from which he profited greatly, and with the Cleveland piece. Brenda Putnam designed the Cleveland coin, which was approved by the Commission of Fine Arts after suggestions by sculptor Lee Lawrie. (Full article...)
The
copper-nickel three-cent piece, often called a
three-cent nickel pieceor
three-cent nickel, was designed by US Mint Chief Engraver
James B. Longacreand struck by the
United States Bureau of the Mintfrom 1865 to 1889. It was initially popular, but its place in commerce was supplanted by the five-cent piece, or
nickel.
With precious metal federal coinage hoarded during the economic turmoil of the American Civil War, including the silver three-cent piece, and even the copper-nickel cent commanding a premium, Congress issued paper money in denominations as small as three cents to replace the hoarded coins in commerce. These small slips of paper became ragged and dirty, and the public came to hate "shinplasters". After the issuance in 1864 of a lighter bronze cent and a two-cent piece of that metal, both of which circulated freely, there were proposals for a three-cent piece in copper-nickel to replace the three-cent note. The advocates were led by Pennsylvania industrialist Joseph Wharton, who then controlled the domestic supply of nickel ore. On the last legislative day of the congressional session, March 3, 1865, a bill for a three-cent piece in copper-nickel alloy was introduced in Congress, passed both houses without debate, and was signed by President Abraham Lincoln. (Full article...)
(29 May 1783 – 16 September 1855) was an Italian
gem-engraver,
medallistand a coin engraver, probably best known for his
Saint George and the Dragondesign for the
British sovereign coin. Pistrucci was commissioned by the British government to create the large
Waterloo Medal, a project which took him thirty years to complete.
Born in Rome in 1783, Pistrucci studied briefly with other artists before striking out on his own at age 15. He became prominent as a cameo carver and was patronised by royalty. In 1815, he moved to Britain, where he would live for most of the rest of his life. His talent brought him to the attention of notables including William Wellesley-Pole, the Master of the Mint. Pole engaged Pistrucci to design new coinage, including the sovereign, which was first issued in 1817 to mixed reactions. Although Pole probably promised Pistrucci the post of Chief Engraver, the position could not be awarded as only a British subject could hold it. This slight became a long-term grievance for Pistrucci. (Full article...)
The
Lynchburg Sesquicentennial half dollarwas a commemorative
half dollardesigned by
Charles Keckand struck by the
United States Bureau of the Mintin 1936, to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the 1786 incorporation of the
independent cityof
Lynchburg, Virginia. The
obverseof the coin depicts former
Secretary of the Treasuryand U.S. Senator
Carter Glass, a native of Lynchburg. The reverse depicts a statue of the
Goddess of Liberty, with Lynchburg sites behind her, including the
Old Courthouseand the city's Confederate monument.
Glass sponsored legislation for the half dollar, which passed Congress without difficulty. The Commission of Fine Arts proposed that the coin should bear the portrait of John Lynch, founder of Lynchburg, on the obverse, but no portrait of him was known. Instead, the Lynchburg Sesqui-Centennial Association decided Senator Glass should be on the coin. Despite his opposition, Glass became the third living person to appear on a U.S. coin, and the first to be shown alone. (Full article...)
(January 3, 1839 – August 1, 1921) was Superintendent of the
United States Mintat Philadelphia from 1889 to 1894. He also claimed to have been the first
Union soldierwounded by enemy action in the
Civil War, stating that he received a bruise on the forehead from an object thrown by a
Confederatesympathizer while his unit was marching through Baltimore in April 1861.
Bosbyshell was born in Mississippi. His parents were of old Philadelphia stock, and he was raised in Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania. After briefly working on the railroad and then studying law, Bosbyshell enlisted in the Union cause on the outbreak of war. Following a brief period of service in the 25th Pennsylvania Volunteer Regiment, he joined the 48th Pennsylvania, remaining in that regiment for three years. He saw action in such battles as Second Bull Run and Antietam. He rose to the rank of major and led his regiment, but was mustered out upon the expiration of his term of service in October 1864, having been refused a leave of absence. (Full article...)
The
British penny(
1⁄240of a
pound sterling), a large, pre-decimal coin which continued the series of pennies which began in about the year 700, was struck intermittently during the 20th century until its withdrawal from circulation after 1970. From 1901 to 1970, the
obverse("heads" side) of the bronze coin depicted the monarch who was reigning at the start of the year. The reverse, which featured an image of
Britanniaseated with shield, trident, and helm, was created by
Leonard Charles Wyonbased on an earlier design by his father,
William Wyon. The coins were also used in British colonies and
dominionsthat had not issued their own coins.
In 1895 the design on the reverse was modified by the Engraver of the Royal Mint George William de Saulles and after Queen Victoria's death in 1901, de Saulles was called upon to create a design for the obverse which would feature Edward VII. This feature appeared on the version of the penny which went into circulation in 1902, and it remained in circulation until the year of Edward's death, 1910. An obverse version of the penny designed by Sir Bertram Mackennal and depicting George V went into circulation in 1911, and it remained in circulation with some modifications until the year of the king's death, 1936. No new pennies were produced for commerce in 1933, because a sufficient number were already in circulation, but at least seven were struck that year, mostly for placement beneath foundation stones and in museums; today they are valuable. Edward VIII's short reign is only represented by a single pattern coin, dated 1937. That year, a new obverse design by Humphrey Paget which depicted George VI went into use. From 1941 to 1943, during the Second World War, pennies were only struck for the colonies; these are all dated 1940 which was the most recent year of production in the United Kingdom. After the war, demand for the penny began to diminish. Most of the 1950 and 1951 pieces were sent to Bermuda, where many of them were retrieved from circulation and repatriated by British coin dealers because of their relative scarcity. (Full article...)
The
Flying Eagle centis a one-
centpiece struck by the
Mint of the United Statesas a
pattern coinin 1856 and for circulation in 1857 and 1858. The coin was designed by Mint Chief Engraver
James B. Longacre, with the eagle in flight based on the work of Longacre's predecessor,
Christian Gobrecht.
By the early 1850s, the large cent (about the size of a half dollar) being issued by the Mint was becoming both unpopular in commerce and expensive to mint. After experimenting with various sizes and compositions, the Mint decided on an alloy of 88% copper and 12% nickel for a new, smaller cent. After the Mint produced patterns with an 1856 date and gave them to legislators and officials, Congress formally authorized the new piece in February 1857. (Full article...)
The
Elgin, Illinois, Centennial half dollarwas a fifty-cent commemorative coin issued by the
United States Bureau of the Mintin 1936, part of the wave of commemoratives authorized by Congress and struck that year. Intended to commemorate the centennial of the founding of
Elgin, the piece was designed by local sculptor
Trygve Rovelstad. The
obversedepicts an idealized head of a
pioneerman. The reverse shows a grouping of pioneers, and is based upon a sculptural group that Rovelstad hoped to build as a memorial to those who settled Illinois, but which was not erected in his lifetime.
Rovelstad had heard of other efforts to gain authorization for commemorative coins, which were sold by the Mint to a designated group at face value and then retailed to the public at a premium. In 1935, through his congressman, he had legislation introduced into the House of Representatives for a commemorative coin in honor of Elgin's centennial that year. Rovelstad hoped that the proposed coin would both depict and be a source of funds for his memorial to the pioneers. Texas coin dealer L.W. Hoffecker heard of the effort and contacted Rovelstad to offer his assistance—Hoffecker had been a force behind the Old Spanish Trail half dollar, issued in 1935 and distributed by him. (Full article...)
The obverse of a Class I 1804 dollar
The
1804 dollaror
Bowed Liberty Dollarwas a
dollar coinstruck by the
United States Mint, of which fifteen specimens are currently known to exist. Though dated 1804, none were struck in that year; all were minted in the 1830s or later. They were first created for use in special
proof coinsets used as diplomatic gifts during
Edmund Roberts' trips to
Siamand
Muscat.
Edmund Roberts distributed the coins in 1834 and 1835. Two additional sets were ordered for government officials in Japan and Cochinchina, but Roberts died in Macau before they could be delivered. Besides those 1804 dollars produced for inclusion in the diplomatic sets, the Mint struck some examples which were used to trade with collectors for pieces desired for the Mint's coin cabinet. Numismatists first became aware of the 1804 dollar in 1842, when an illustration of one example appeared in a publication authored by two Mint employees. A collector subsequently acquired one example from the Mint in 1843. In response to numismatic demand, several examples were surreptitiously produced by Mint officials. Unlike the original coins, these later restrikes lacked the correct edge lettering, although later examples released from the Mint bore the correct lettering. The coins produced for the diplomatic mission, those struck surreptitiously without edge lettering and those with lettering are known collectively as "Class I", "Class II" and "Class III" dollars, respectively. (Full article...)
The American Numismatic Association (ANA) is an organization founded in 1891 by George Francis Heath. Located in Colorado Springs, Colorado, it was formed to advance the knowledge of numismatics (the study of coins) along educational, historical, and scientific lines, as well as to enhance interest in the hobby.
The ANA has more than 24,000 individual members who receive many benefits, such as discounts, access to website features, and the monthly journal The Numismatist. The ANA's Colorado Springs headquarters houses its administrative offices, library, and money museum. The ANA received a federal charter from the United States Congress in 1912. (Full article...)
Reverse, Newfounland two dollarsA shekel or sheqel (Akkadian: 𒅆𒅗𒇻, romanized: šiqlu, siqlu; Ugaritic: 𐎘𐎖𐎍, romanized: ṯiql, Hebrew: שקל, romanized: šeqel, plural Hebrew: שקלים, romanized: šəqālim, Phoenician: 𐤔𐤒𐤋) is an ancient Mesopotamian coin, usually of silver. A shekel was first a unit of weight—very roughly 11 grams (0.35 ozt)—and became currency in ancient Tyre, Carthage and Hasmonean Judea. (Full article...)
The following are images from various numismatics-related articles on Wikipedia.
Song dynasty
Jiaozi,the world's earliest paper money (from
Currency)
The
Piloncitosare tiny engraved gold coins found in the
Philippines, along with
barter rings, which are gold ring-like
ingots. These barter rings are bigger than softballs in size and are made of pure gold from the Archaic period (
c. 10thto 16th century). (from
Coin)
Athenian coin (c. 500/490–485 BC) discovered in the
Shaikhan Dehri hoardin
Pushkalavati,
Pakistan. This coin is the earliest known example of its type to be found so far east. (from
Coin)
Roman
aureusof
Septimius Severus,
c. 193–211 AD(from
History of money)
Spade money from the
Zhou dynasty,
c.650–400 BC (from
History of money)
Coins can be stacked. (from
Coin)
Posthumous Alexander the Great tetradrachm from Temnos, Aeolis. Dated 188–170 BC. Obverse: Alexander the Great as Herakles facing right wearing the nemean lionskin. Reverse: Zeus seated on throne to the left holding eagle in right hand and scepter in left; in left field PA monogram and angular sigma above grape vine arching over oinochoe; ALEXANDROU vertical in right field. Reference: Price 1678. (from
Coin)
Silver
staterof Aegina, 550–530 BC. Obverse:
sea turtlewith large pellets down centre. Reverse: incuse square punch with eight sections. (from
Coin)
Cowry shells being used as money by an Arab trader (from
Currency)
A 7th century one-third stater coin from Lydia, shown larger (from
History of money)
The earliest inscribed coinage:
electrumcoin of
Phanesfrom
Ephesus, 625–600 BC. Obverse:
Staggrazing right, ΦΑΝΕΩΣ (retrograde). Reverse: Two
incusepunches, each with raised intersecting lines. (from
Coin)
A
silvercoin made during the reign of the
Mughal Emperor Alamgir II(1754–1759) (from
Coin)
Bimetallic Egyptian one pound coin featuring King Tutankhamen (from
Coin)
The
French Indies Companyissued rupees in the name of
Muhammad Shah(1719–1748) for Northern India trade. This was cast in
Pondicherry. (from
History of money)
Roman
sestertiusof
Nero,
c. 54–68 AD(from
History of money)
Hoard of mostly
Mauryan Empirecoins, 3rd century BC (from
Coin)
Genoese 10 doppie, 1641 (from
History of money)
Shredded and briquetted
US dollarnotes from the
Federal Reserve Bank of New York(approx. 1000 pieces, 1 kg) (from
Banknote)
Greek
drachmof Aegina. Obverse: Land turtle. Reverse: ΑΙΓ(INA) and dolphin (from
History of money)
Punch-marked coin minted in the Kabul Valley under Achaemenid administration, c. 500–380 BC, or c. 350 BC. (from
Coin)
The world's oldest coin, created in the ancient Kingdom of Lydia (from
Currency)
Coin of
Alyattesof
Lydia,
c. 620/10–564/53BC (from
Coin)
Silver coin of the
Maurya Empire, known as
rūpyarūpa, with symbols of wheel and elephant. 3rd century BC (from
History of money)
Obverse and reverse of an old American $100 note (1928) (from
Banknote)
French 1992 twenty Franc Tri-Metallic coin (from
Coin)
Five million mark coin (
Weimar Republic, 1923). Despite its high denomination, this coin's
monetaryvalue dropped to a tiny fraction of a US cent by the end of 1923, substantially less than the value of its metallic content. (from
Coin)
banknote (from
History of money)
Collage for banknote design with annotations and additions to show proposed changes (figure rather higher so as to allow room for the No.), Bank of Manchester, UK, 1833. On display at the British Museum in London (from
Banknote)
Timeline of monetary history (from
History of money)
Genoese scudo, 1541 (from
History of money)
Earliest banknote from China during the Song Dynasty which is known as "Jiaozi" (from
History of money)
Name of currency units by country, in Portuguese (from
Currency)
Shreds of unfit
US dollarnotes with a typical size of less than 1.5 mm × 16 mm (from
Banknote)
The
Achaemenid Empire satrapsand dynasts in
Asia Minordeveloped the usage of portraiture from c. 420 BC. Portrait of the satrap of
Lydia,
Tissaphernes(c. 445–395 BC). (from
Coin)
Early
punch-marked coinsof Gandhara,
Taxila-
Gandhararegion. (from
Coin)
3
Rublesproof coin of Russia, minted in 2008 (from
Coin)
A
Swiss ten-cent coinfrom 1879, similar to the oldest coins still in official use today (from
Coin)
Many currencies, such as the
Indonesian rupiah, vary the sizes of their banknotes by denomination. This is done so that they may be told apart through touch alone. (from
Banknote)
A
2000 Romanian leipolymer banknote (from
Banknote)
Chinese round coins,
Eastern Zhou dynasty–
Warring States Period, c. 300–220 BC. Four Hua (四化, 30mm, 6.94 g). Legend
Yi Si Hua([City of] Yi Four Hua). (from
Coin)
An
American Silver Eagleminted in 2019 (left), an example of a
Bullion coin. Its obverse design is based on the older, formerly circulating silver
Walking Liberty half dollar(right). (from
Coin)
Fed Shreds as souvenir from the
Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco(from
Banknote)
Shredded and briquetted US dollar notes from the
Federal Reserve Bank of New York(approx. 1000 pieces, 1 kg) (from
Banknote)
A
siglosfound in the
Kabul valley, 5th century BC. Coins of this type were also found in the
Bhir Moundhoard. (from
Coin)
Shredded and briquetted
eurobanknotes from the
Deutsche Bundesbank, Germany (approx. 1 kg) (from
Banknote)
A
5 euro notethat was repaired with
plastic tapeafter being torn in half (from
Banknote)
Holographic coin from Liberia features the
Statue of Liberty(
Liberty Enlightening the World) (from
Coin)
A $5 note issued by Citizens Bank of Louisiana in the 1850s. (from
Banknote)
Genoese doppia, 1589 (from
History of money)
An
oxhide ingotfrom
Crete.
Late Bronze Agemetal ingots were given standard shapes, such as the shape of an "ox-hide", suggesting that they represented standardized values. (from
Coin)
Alexander the Great Tetradrachm from the Temnos Mint, c. 188–170 BC (from
Coin)
"bent-bar" punch-marked coin minted under Achaemenid administration, of the type found in large quantities in the
Chaman Hazouriand the
Bhir Moundhoards. (from
Coin)
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