That disc shaped piece of metal, made for us by rulers and governments all over the world for centuries now, could soon become a thing of the past. Have we reached a point when cash will be completely replaced by cards, which have already become a predominant way of payment? I believe that time is near…
And what are we to do, where do we search for coins? In the streets… or in banks?
We are left with numismatics, the activity that primarily deals with studying coins, that is with studying their origin. Numismatics has become, among other things, a very important branch of science that goes way back into the past, more than 2700 years.
It tells us of many rulers and governments that had them made. This coined piece of metal tells us stories of how it came into being and of events connected to it from our times deep into the history of human race. It tells us of the spiritual and the material state of society in which it was made. It helps us resolve historical facts associated with many great events. It shows us pictures of many real and fictive characters and objects, for example gods, rulers, heroes, temples, weapons, animals…
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The interest for collecting these coined pieces of metal occurred in the Middle Ages and is still current in our times. There are several categories in collecting coins. You can build your collections based on the year of making or the type of coins, on the motive that occurs on them or the type of metal they are made of.
Their value mainly depends on how rare they are, that is in how many copies they were coined. So, the rarer they are, the more expensive they get. The second most important thing is the preservation of the coin, which is divided into several categories and several degrees and semi-degrees of quality. There are catalogues that hold values of individual coins all over the world.
Where to search for coins and where to trade them?
The easiest place to find them, as is the case with all other things, is – the Internet. There are advertisements, auctions, large amounts of literature you may need that can be available on or ordered via the Internet.
You can trade them with other numismatists. The exchange of goods actually was a legitimate way of payment before the age of money.
You can buy or sell them… You can start a whole new exchange business and take parts in auctions. It would be best if you always had a catalogue to consult with, but it is good to possess knowledge as well, to make sure you do not give valuable coins under their price or buy worthless ones.
The search for coins is literally the search for money. It is the search for the symbol of banking itself and of power, which is not a bad thing to begin with...
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