order::



Although it is not possible to exactly find the beginning of coin collecting, it is thought by many that the practice soon started after the first coins were minted around 650 B.C.

Items were once exchanged for carefully weighed precious metals like gold or silver. Because of dishonest dealers trying to steal things by passing out a lower quantity of these metals, the barter system that was once used was circumvented by coins made of standardized weights of precious gold. Coins quickly became the newest form of payment for items.

(Now the Greeks who in the fifth century had begun to commission artists to engrave the faces and figures on their coins. They often used designs of gods, goddesses, or mythical heroes. Alexander the Great began the popular fashion of using realistic engravings on the coins instead of idealistic representations.

Francesco Petrarca, a (14th century Italian scholar and poet "coined" the father of the Renaissance, was the first numismatic enthusiast to show attention to coin collecting and probably was the most famous numismatist.

The practice, adored for its art and value, soon became popular with popes. Also during the Renaissance period. It soon became a passion. History also points to Roman emperors who used to (buy the coins for higher prices than the face value for the coins that were not in circulation. Coin collecting was soon referred to "The Hobby of Kings", a tile given by the enthusiastic renaissance nobility. Kings like Louis XIV of France, Ferdinand I, and Henry IV of France were also great coin collectors. Elector Joachim II of Bradenburg started the Berlin coin cabinet.

The first international convention for coin collectors was held on August 15th through the 18th in 1962 in Detroit, Michigan. It was sponsored by the American Numismatic Association and the Royal Canadian Numismatic Association. It was estimated that 40,000 people were in attendance.

The United States didn’t officially start minting coins until the beginning of 1792 with the legislating of the Coinage Act. This act made the United States dollar as the official unit of currency exchange throughout the states.

The Philadelphia Mint was the first to manufacture US coins. The first coin it coined the United States Silver Dollar. The next mint commissioned was the Denver Mint in 1906. The San Francisco Mint and the West Point mint mainly produce proof sets and gold coins. All the coins in the United States are marked with a P, D, S or W, depending on the mint where it was produced.

Today there are millions of people fascinated by coin collecting There are a few different museums that showcase valuable and very rare collections of coins. These museums include the Smithsonian in Washington D. C. as well as the American Numismatic Society in New York City which was established in 1891 to encourage education concerning coin collecting. Coin Collectors enjoy the pleasure of someday finding something rare and valuable but also (admire the coins themselves for their aesthetic and historic value.