Historically, each country has its own currency. And although it is now easier to make payments in dollars or euros, after another trip abroad, coins from different countries remain. Sometimes a big craze starts with a few coins.
Coin collecting
Coins change over time. Their denomination, the chased profile of the ruler, the metal or alloy from which they are made change. There are commemorative coins issued for a special occasion. There are rare coins, issued in a small batch and having a short circulation. A special direction in collecting is errorism, that is, a passion for coins with minting errors, marriage.
This hobby has been known for a long time. Real collectors not only collect coins with enthusiasm, but also know everything about them: when and for what reason this sample was issued, where it happened, who was in power at that time, the composition of the metal, why they continued or stopped minting them and what currency changed them.
It was this enthusiasm that led in the nineteenth century to the emergence of the science of numismatics, which studies the interactionhistorical processes and their turnover based on facts, which ultimately helps to fill in the gaps in history. For example, during archaeological excavations, coins from different countries were found. Numismatics allows you to more accurately determine the time of their circulation, the geopolitical situation at that moment, the latitude and duration of trade routes, and much more.
A scuba diver might get lucky
There are always divers on the sea. Do they know that shipwrecks can be scattered underwater along the sea coast? In 2015, in Israel, divers surveyed the bottom of the sea near Caesarea. After the storm, the bottom changed its relief and Arab gold coins became visible. There were so many of them that it became clear: the ship sank here.
The Israel Antiquities Department is conducting archaeological excavations there. Scuba divers helped find more than two thousand gold coins. They are well preserved and tell the story of a thousand years ago. Caesarea was once thought to have been a small fishing village at the turn of the eleventh century. However, the found treasure refutes this: coins from different countries - Egypt and Sicily - prove that there was a busy port city here.
Some areas along the coast are still open for diving, so it's possible to find old money there.
What can I bring back from vacation
Some vacationers find a lot of small metal things on sandy beaches. It could also be coins. To make it easier to search, take a metal detector with you. Some countries prohibit exportcurrency, advising to exchange it for dollars or euros. But with regard to small change, we can say that it is often passed through customs without any problems.
Professional treasure hunters notice that 70% of finds come from the beach and 30% from water. A lot of coins are left by tourists from all over the world. The old ones, eaten with s alt, have already lost their purchasing power, but they will come in handy for the collection. But not so long lying in the water or on the shore can even make a tangible increase in pocket money.
There is a so-called children's way of getting little things from the sea: standing in one place, “wash out” the bottom with flippers. If there is metal there, it will ring. Now you can get a metal detector that works in water. Vacation turns into an adventure.
Countries without coins
In some countries there is no more metal money. It is unprofitable to mint them, and they are gradually withdrawn from circulation. Here is a short list of which coins have become rare in different countries:
- In Equatorial Guinea, these are 1, 5 and 10 ekuele.
- On the New Hebrides it's metal francs.
- Burundi and Rwanda have abandoned the circulation of the 1-franc coin.
- Mali no longer mints 5, 10, 25, 50 and 100 franc coins.
- Chile no longer issues centimos and escudos as coins.
- In Vietnam, coins are not found in everyday life, although there are 5000, 2000, 1000, 500 and 200 dong in circulation. They concentrate with collectors.
- Somaliatheoretically have a national shilling, but it is not found in circulation.
- Jamaican cents are being phased out, although the metallic Jamaican dollar is still used as a means of payment.
- The DPRK no longer uses metal money up to 50 chon, as well as 1 and 5 won.
- The Solomon Islands no longer mint 1, 2, and 5 cent coins and are gradually withdrawing them from circulation.
- In the Kingdom of Tonga, 1 and 2 seniti have become so depreciated that their production is unprofitable.
- Saint Helena is issuing 2-pound coins for collection purposes only.
- Republic of Trinidad and Tobago withdrew $1 from circulation.
Value of rare coins
It is not known what value the coins of different countries of the world will have in years to come. The photo of the most expensive one - the first silver dollar - will be recognized by all collectors. The record price for which it was sold is ten million dollars. This happened in 2013. Prior to that, in 2005, its price reached $7,850,000.
This silver dollar has a name: Loose Hair. The fact is that on its obverse Liberty is depicted with flying, hair free from styling. All subsequent images are already with hairstyles. She is surrounded by fifteen stars, symbolizing the number of states. Now there are about two hundred of these coins in the world.
The second place is occupied by a gold twenty dollar bill. Its price is seven million US dollars. According to the depicted flying eagle on one of the sides, it is calleddouble-headed eagle of Saint-Gaudens. It is not clear why - after all, the flying eagle in the image has one head. Its history is as follows: during the economic crisis, in 1933, they did not manage to put it into circulation and sent the entire batch for remelting. Only two coins have been preserved for the collection of the State Museum.
Third place went to doubloon Brasher. This US jeweler made several copies and left his initials on each one - on the chest or on the wing. Those with the initials on the chest of an eagle are considered more valuable. Their cost in 2011 is just over seven million dollars.
Names of coins from different countries of the world
From fiction you can learn a lot of information about the circulation of banknotes. Many are already in the past and you can only look at them in a museum. With the introduction of a single currency in Europe, national means of payment are gradually disappearing from the world stage. But you can still get coins from different countries for a private collection.
Their names often go back centuries, when people gave them nicknames. For example, abaz - a silver Persian coin that served as a prototype of Georgian money - owes its name to Shah Abbas. The well-known cent (as, indeed, centime) is one hundredth, centum in Latin. The silver Roman denarius became the basis for the names of the coins of different countries. It means tenth, denarius.
When Russia founded a mint, notches called carbs were made along the edge of the rubles. Hence the name "karbovanets". Polish zloty means "golden". Krona - a currency in several states - is called so because of the crown,stamped on one side. The Italian florin got its name from the lily, the symbol of Florence. It was there that it was first issued, and then other countries began to mint their own florins.
The Roman conquests of Europe affected the monetary systems of many countries. The German pfenning, known since the tenth century, is derived from the Latin pondus, weight. The English penny has the same roots. This little money was easier to weigh than to count. A pound penny was one hundred pennies.
At the end of the eighth century, 240 sterling was received from a pound of silver, which was also weighed in the calculations. This is how the famous pound sterling appeared.
Interesting facts about coins from different countries
Think of a little hoe, knife or bell. It's not toys, it's money. In China, thousands of years ago, they were made of bronze, and beautiful gizmos served as a means of payment. They are still considered money of the most unusual form. But the most unusual material for money was seal skin. Her coins were worth as much as she weighs.
In the sixteenth century, the Venetian small coin was called the Gazette. Later they began to call so periodicals worth one newspaper.
The smallest coin is a Russian polushka, its weight is 0.17 g. The largest is 10 Swedish dalers, weighing about 20 kg. Sleds were needed for transportation, but major thefts stopped. The lightest is the Nepalese quarter Jawa. It was not even minted, but cut out oflarger java.
And finally
In order to start collecting, you need only one coin. This is an interesting and useful thing. The ever-increasing value of your collection will give you confidence in the future. Try topping it up next time you come back from vacation.
