Coin Collecting

Coin collecting is the collecting of coins or other forms of minted legal tender.

The Italian scholar and poet Petrarch is credited with being the pursuit's first and most famous aficionado.

Perhaps because only the very wealthy could afford the pursuit, in Renaissance times coin collecting became known as the 'Hobby of Kings'.

Coin collecting can be differentiated from numismatics, in that the latter is the systematic study of currency as a whole, though the two disciplines are closely interlinked.

By the mid 20th century, with the growing market for rare coins, the American Numismatic Association helps identify most coins in North America, numbering coins from 1 (poor) to 70 (mint state), and setting aside a separate category for proof coinage.

Evidence from the archaeological and historical record of Ancient Rome and medieval Mesopotamia indicates that coins were collected and catalogued by scholars and state treasuries.

According to Suetonius in his De vita Caesarum (The Lives of the Twelve Caesars), written in the first century AD, the emperor Augustus sometimes presented old and exotic coins to friends and courtiers during festivals and other special occasions.

Any damage, such as wear or cleaning, can substantially decrease a coin's value.

Another frequent reason for purchasing coins is as an investment. As with stamps, precious metals, or other commodities, coin prices vary based on supply and demand.

the world's largest nonprofit organization dedicated to coin collecting and the study of money.

Coin collecting is a hobby that connects history, art, and culture through the study of money.