Numismatics – Peter’s true passion
In recent years, interest in numismatics has increased among the Russian population, which is both exciting and quite profitable. Following this trend, many shops selling antiques open stores for coin collectors, as well as conduct various auctions. And every year the number of numismatists is growing.
Goethe once wrote that coins are “an endless spring of flowers and fruits of art.” According to legend, the coins got their real name due to the fact that they began to produce the courtyard of the temple of the goddess Juno Coins on Capitol Hill in Rome. But it took a long time before the coins became the subject of admiration for Goethe and other poets. Continue reading
Coins and coin type of ancient Greece
The stamp imprint on the coins is the seal of the country or city that issued it. The drawings and inscriptions on the coins represent the most important concept of “coin” science – the coin type.
This concept is very sensitive to the historical and cultural environment in which coins are minted. Ancient Greek coins were the monetary units of the policy, and therefore they reflected what the city lived.
On the early coins of Athens, the drawings seem very unusual: a vase, a part of a horse, a human leg … Continue reading
On the fate of coin stamps of the St. Petersburg Mint
Mikhail Ivanovich Smirnov, the archivist of the St. Petersburg Mint, published an interesting article in the 6th issue of the Old Coin: “The Mints Cabinet and the Museum of the Mint of St. Petersburg”. Among the problematic issues, the central place in it was taken up by the question of the fate of coin stamps of the St. Petersburg Mint, the solution of which, as the author points out, encounters difficulties. Recall the provisions formulated by him, which are, in his opinion, the starting point for solving the problem posed. Continue reading
What is now in price on the numismatic market
The dollar is falling, and the ruble is growing stronger. Especially – old. Antique coins are sold at auctions for “big money”. So, at the Gelos auction before the new year, for five gold rubles of Alexander III, coinage in 1888 was paid 150 thousand, and for a silver dime of 1741 of unique preservation – 90 thousand rubles. A set of two trial kopecks in 1871 of a copper-nickel alloy with a portrait of Alexander I was bought for 120 thousand rubles.
However, this is not the limit. Record is 120 thousand, but already dollars. For so much bought a trial silver ruble in 1806 at the auction of the antique salon “Catherine” in April last year. This is really a big rarity. Even Grand Duke George Mikhailovich, who possessed the largest collection of coins in Russia, had only one copy of it in the collection of the Imperial Hermitage … Continue reading
Coin Albums
Many numismatists with a sense of satisfaction recall the old days, when doing coin collecting, they could buy coin albums in almost any store in the country, which over time filled with new and new copies. As for the present, it is quite difficult to buy really good coin albums. This is due to the fact that in stores more and more fakes appear that quickly deteriorate and tear. In general, coin collectors believe that the best albums for coins are albums in which at least two hundred coins are placed, since, firstly, it saves the problem of storing such albums, and secondly, it saves money that can be spent on same purchase of coins. In addition, the album should be of high quality, be durable and have a beautiful appearance, so that each time you use or view it, you should feel additional joy and spiritual satisfaction. Continue reading