Portal topics: Activities; Culture; Geography; Health; History; Mathematics; Nature; People; Philosophy; Religion; Society; Technology; Random portal

The Numismatics Portal

Electrum coin from Ephesus, 520-500 BCE. Obverse: Forepart of stag. Reverse: Square incuse punch

Numismatics is the study or collection of currency, including coins, tokens, paper money, medals and related objects.

Specialists, known as numismatists, are often characterized as students or collectors of coins, but the discipline also includes the broader study of money and other means of payment used to resolve debts and exchange goods.

The earliest forms of money used by people are referred to as "Odd and Curious", but the use of other goods in barter exchange is excluded, even where used as a circulating currency (e.g., cigarettes in prison). As an example, the Kyrgyz people used horses as the principal currency unit, and gave small change in lambskins; the lambskins may be suitable for numismatic study, but the horses are not. Many objects have been used for centuries, such as cowry shells, precious metals, cocoa beans, large stones, and gems. (Full article...)

Refresh with new selections below (purge)

Selected article - show another

Banknotes of the Australian dollar in a wallet. In 1988, Australia was the first country to introduce polymer banknotes for circulation.

Polymer banknotes are banknotes made from a synthetic polymer such as biaxially oriented polypropylene (BOPP). Such notes incorporate many security features not available in paper banknotes, including the use of metameric inks. Polymer banknotes last significantly longer than paper notes, causing a decrease in environmental impact and a reduced cost of production and replacement. Modern polymer banknotes were first developed by the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA), Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) and The University of Melbourne. They were first issued as currency in Australia during 1988 (coinciding with Australia's bicentennial year); by 1996, the Australian dollar was switched completely to polymer banknotes. Romania was the first country in Europe to issue a plastic note in 1999 and became the third country after Australia and New Zealand to fully convert to polymer by 2003.

Other currencies that have been switched completely to polymer banknotes include: the Vietnamese đồng (2006) although this is only applied to banknotes with denominations above 10,000 đồng, the Brunei dollar (2006), the Nigerian Naira (2007), the Papua New Guinean kina (2008), the Canadian dollar (2013), the Maldivian rufiyaa (2017), the Mauritanian ouguiya (2017), the Nicaraguan córdoba (2017), the Vanuatu vatu (2017), the Eastern Caribbean dollar (2019) and sterling (2021). Several countries have now introduced polymer banknotes into commemorative or general circulation, including: Nigeria, Cape Verde, Chile, The Gambia, Trinidad and Tobago, Vietnam, Mexico, Singapore, Malaysia, Botswana, São Tomé and Príncipe, North Macedonia, the Russian Federation, Solomon Islands, Samoa, Morocco, Albania, Sri Lanka, Hong Kong, Israel, China, Taiwan, Kuwait, Mozambique, Saudi Arabia, Isle of Man, Guatemala, Haiti, Libya, Mauritius, Costa Rica, Honduras, Angola, Namibia, Lebanon, the Philippines, and Egypt. (Full article...)

List of selected articles
Gold standard Fiat money Federal Reserve Note Civil War token Hobo nickel Roman currency Octopus card Demand Note 2 euro commemorative coins Royal Canadian Mint Dime (United States coin) Ancient Greek coinage Dollar New Orleans Mint Aksumite currency Ten Dollar Bill (Lichtenstein) Coin collecting Coins of the pound sterling Banknotes of the pound sterling Euro Gold coin Coins of the Swiss franc Banknote Bullion coin Ban Liang Cash (Chinese coin) Mint (facility) Coin Renminbi Japanese yen Early American currency Charon's obol Fractional currency Russian ruble Rupee Indian rupee Egyptian pound Achaemenid coinage Ptolemaic coinage Seigniorage Reserve Bank of Australia Coinage of India Greek drachma Banknotes of Scotland Banknotes of Zimbabwe Banknotes of the Canadian dollar Banknotes of the Ta-Ching Government Bank Paper money of the Qing dynasty 2016 Indian banknote demonetisation Royal Mint Penny Spanish dollar Thirty pieces of silver Celtic currency of Britain The Coin Collector’s Survival Manual Anthony de Francisci Humphrey Paget Constance Ortmayer William Wood (ironmaster) Venezuelan bolívar Brazilian real West Point Mint Curmsun Disc Korean mun Pound sterling Philippine peso G. Kenneth Jenkins Joe Cribb Medal of the Royal Numismatic Society Joaquín Rubio y Muñoz Martin Price Oluf Gerhard Tychsen American Numismatic Association

List of selected articles

Selected image

Credit: Okerele

The 2 euro coin of the Finnish euro coins depicts cloudberry, the golden berry of northern Finland.

Did you know...

...that with its two-dollar coin (reverse pictured), Newfoundland was the only British colony to issue circulating gold coinage?
...that Mount Burgess is nicknamed the Ten Dollar Mountain because it was featured on Canadian currency?
...that the American Buffalo gold bullion coin was the first .9999 fine 24-carat gold coin released by the United States Mint?
...that the Alabama centennial half dollar was the first commemorative coin minted with the image of a living individual?
...that Aksumite currency was the only native coinage to be issued in Africa without direct influence by an outside culture like Roman, Greek, etc...?

More Did you know facts

Related portals

Selected coin - show another

The American Silver Eagle is the official silver bullion coin of the United States.

It was first released by the United States Mint on November 24, 1986. It is struck only in the one-troy ounce, which has a nominal face value of one dollar and is guaranteed to contain one troy ounce of 99.9% pure silver. It is authorized by Title II of Public Law 99-61 (Liberty Coin Act, approved July 9, 1985) and codified as 31 U.S.C. § 5112(e)-(h). Its content, weight, and purity are certified by the United States Mint. In addition to the bullion version, the United States Mint has produced a proof version and an uncirculated version for coin collectors. The Silver Eagle has been produced at three mints: the Philadelphia Mint, the San Francisco Mint, and the West Point Mint. The American Silver Eagle bullion coin may be used to fund Individual Retirement Account investments. (Full article...)

List of selected coins
Krugerrand Fifty pence (British coin) Chinese Silver Panda Two pence (British decimal coin) Penny (United States coin) Canadian Silver Maple Leaf American Platinum Eagle Mercury dime One-satang coin The Queen's Beasts (coin) Aachen penny of Charlemagne Shekel American Buffalo (coin) Persian daric Kijang Emas Groat (coin) Paolo (coin) Florin Hong Kong five-dollar coin

Selected banknote image - show another

Credit: commons:User:Red devil 666.
Face of the famous 1896 $2 "Educational Series" silver certificate.

General images - load new batch

The following are images from various numismatics-related articles on Wikipedia.

Image 1Russian American Company-issued Alaskan parchment scrip (c. 1852) (from Banknote)
Image 2The first paper money in Europe, issued by the Stockholms Banco in 1666. (from Banknote)
Image 3The sealing of the Bank of England Charter (1694). The Bank began the first permanent issue of banknotes a year later. (from Banknote)
Punch-marked coin minted in the Kabul Valley under Achaemenid administration, c. 500–380 BC, or c. 350 BC. (from Coin)
Image 5Obverse and reverse of an old American $100 note (1928) (from Banknote)
Image 6Marco Polo described the use of early banknotes in China to Medieval Europe in his book, The Travels of Marco Polo. (from Banknote)
Image 7A siglos found in the Kabul valley, 5th century BC. Coins of this type were also found in the Bhir Mound hoard. (from Coin)
Image 8Strength of currencies relative to USD as of April 2016 (from Currency)
Image 9Athenian coin (c. 500/490–485 BC) discovered in the Shaikhan Dehri hoard in Pushkalavati, Ancient India. This coin is the earliest known example of its type to be found so far east. (from Coin)
Image 10When Brazil changed currencies in 1989, the 1000, 5000, and 10,000 cruzados banknotes were overstamped and issued as 1, 5, and 10 cruzados novos banknotes for several months before cruzado novo banknotes were printed and issued. Banknotes can be overstamped with new denominations, typically when a country converts to a new currency at an even, fixed exchange rate (in this case, 1000:1). (from Banknote)
Image 11Collage for banknote design with annotations and additions to show proposed changes (figure rather higher so as to allow room for the No.), Bank of Manchester, UK, 1833. On display at the British Museum in London (from Banknote)
Image 12An oxhide ingot from Crete. Late Bronze Age metal ingots were given standard shapes, such as the shape of an "ox-hide", suggesting that they represented standardized values. (from Coin)
Image 13A Yuan dynasty printing plate and banknote with Chinese words. (from Banknote)
Image 14A 7th century one-third stater coin from Lydia, shown larger (from History of money)
$Image 15Five million mark coin (Weimar Republic, 1923). Despite its high denomination, this coin's monetary value dropped to a tiny fraction of a US cent by the end of 1923, substantially less than the value of its metallic content. (from Coin)$

Image 15Five million mark coin (Weimar Republic, 1923). Despite its high denomination, this coin's monetary value dropped to a tiny fraction of a US cent by the end of 1923, substantially less than the value of its metallic content. (from Coin)
Image 16Fifty-five-dollar bill in Continental currency; leaf design by Benjamin Franklin, 1779 (from Banknote)
Image 17The Achaemenid Empire Satraps and Dynasts in Asia Minor developed the usage of portraiture from c. 420 BC. Portrait of the Satrap of Lydia, Tissaphernes (c. 445–395 BC). (from Coin)
Image 18Name of currency units by country, in Portuguese (from Currency)
Image 19Spade money from the Zhou Dynasty, c. 650–400 BC (from History of money)
Image 20A silver coin made during the reign of the Mughal Emperor Alamgir II (from Coin)
Image 21French 1992 twenty Franc Tri-Metallic coin (from Coin)
Image 22Shredded and briquetted US dollar notes from the Federal Reserve Bank of New York (approx. 1000 pieces, 1 kg) (from Banknote)
Image 23The earliest inscribed coinage: electrum coin of Phanes from Ephesus, 625–600 BC. Obverse: Stag grazing right, ΦΑΝΕΩΣ (retrograde). Reverse: Two incuse punches, each with raised intersecting lines. (from Coin)
Image 24Earliest banknote from China during the Song Dynasty which is known as "Jiaozi" (from History of money)
Image 25Cowry shells being used as money by an Arab trader. (from Currency)
Image 26Gandharan "bent-bar" punch-marked coin minted under Achaemenid administration, of the type found in large quantities in the Chaman Hazouri and the Bhir Mound hoards. (from Coin)
Image 27A selection of metal coins. (from Coin)
Image 28Alexander the Great Tetradrachm from the Temnos Mint, c. 188–170 BC (from Coin)
Image 29A$5 note issued by Citizens Bank of Louisiana in the 1850s. (from Banknote)
Image 30The French East India Company issued rupees in the name of Muhammad Shah (1719–1748) for Northern India trade. This was cast in Pondicherry. (from History of money)
Image 31Silver coin of the Maurya Empire, known as rūpyarūpa, with symbols of wheel and elephant. 3rd century BC. (from History of money)
Image 32Hoard of mostly Mauryan Empire coins, 3rd century BC. (from Coin)
Image 33A former Finnish 10 mark banknote from 1980, depicting President J. K. Paasikivi. (from Banknote)
Image 34Song Dynasty Jiaozi, the world's earliest paper money. (from Banknote)
Image 351884 United States trade dollar (from Coin)
Image 36Greek drachm of Aegina. Obverse: Land turtle. Reverse: ΑΙΓ(INA) and dolphin (from History of money)
Image 37The Piloncitos are tiny engraved gold coins found in the Philippines, along with the barter rings, which are gold ring-like ingots. These barter rings are bigger than doughnuts in size and are made of pure gold from the Archaic period (c. 10th to 16th century). (from Coin)
Image 38Chinese round coins, Eastern Zhou dynasty – Warring States Period, c. 300–220 BC. Four Hua (四化, 30mm, 6.94 g). Legend Yi Si Hua ([City of] Yi Four Hua). (from Coin)
Image 39The world's oldest coin, created in the ancient Kingdom of Lydia. (from Currency)
Image 40Fed Shreds as souvenir from the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco (from Banknote)
Image 41A 2000 Romanian lei polymer banknote (from Banknote)
Image 42Coin of Alyattes of Lydia, c. 620/10-564/53 BC. (from Coin)
Image 43Early punch-marked coins of Gandhara, Taxila-Gandhara region. (from Coin)
Image 44100 USD banknote (from History of money)
Image 45An American Silver Eagle minted in 2019 (left), an example of a Bullion coin. Its obverse design is based on the older, formerly circulating silver Walking Liberty half dollar (right). (from Coin)
Image 46The taka was widely used across South Asia during the sultanate period (from History of money)
Image 47Shreds of unfit US dollar notes with a typical size of less than 1.5 mm x 16 mm (from Banknote)
Image 48Banknotes with a face value of 5000 in different currencies. (United States dollar, CFA franc, Japanese yen, Italian lira, and French franc) (from Banknote)
Image 49Coins can be stacked. (from Coin)
Image 50Silver stater of Aegina, 550–530 BC. Obv. Sea turtle with large pellets down centre. Rev. incuse square punch with eight sections. (from Coin)
Image 51Posthumous Alexander the Great tetradrachm from Temnos, Aeolis. Dated 188–170 BC. Obverse: Alexander the Great as Herakles facing right wearing the nemean lionskin. Reverse: Zeus seated on throne to the left holding eagle in right hand and scepter in left; in left field PA monogram and angular sigma above grape vine arching over oinochoe; ALEXANDROU vertical in right field. Reference: Price 1678. (from Coin)
Image 523 Rubles proof coin of Russia, minted in 2008 (from Coin)
Image 53A Swiss ten-cent coin from 1879, similar to the oldest coins still in official use today (from Coin)
Image 54Bimetallic Egyptian one pound coin featuring King Tutankhamen (from Coin)
Image 55Modern-day coins of different metals, popular among collectors, part of hobby. (from Coin)
Image 56Shredded and briquetted US dollar notes from the Federal Reserve Bank of New York (approx. 1000 pieces, 1 kg) (from Banknote)
Image 57Song dynasty Jiaozi, the world's earliest paper money (from Currency)
Image 58A 5 euro note so badly damaged it has been torn in half. The note has later been repaired with tape. (from Banknote)
Image 59Holographic coin from Liberia features the Statue of Liberty (Liberty Enlightening the World) (from Coin)
Image 60Currencies exchange logo (from Currency)
Image 61Shredded and briquetted euro banknotes from the Deutsche Bundesbank, Germany (approx. 1 kg) (from Banknote)
Image 62Bielefeld Germany 25 Mark 1921. Silk Banknote. (from Banknote)

Numismatic terminology

Bullion – Precious metals (platinum, gold and silver) in the form of bars, ingots or plate.
Error – Usually a mis-made coin not intended for circulation, but can also refer to an engraving or die-cutting error not discovered until the coins are released to circulation. This may result is two or more varieties of the coin in the same year.
Exonumia – The study of coin-like objects such as token coins and medals, and other items used in place of legal currency or for commemoration.
Fineness – Purity of precious metal content expressed in terms of one thousand parts. 90% is expressed as .900 fine.
Notaphily – The study of paper money or banknotes.
Scripophily – The study and collection of stocks and Bonds.

More terminology

WikiProjects

edit

Numismatic topics

Money - Coins - Banknotes - Electronic money - Exchange rate - Legal tender - Clubs - Terminology

Ancient currency: Asia - Byzantium - Greece - Primitive Money - Roman - Indian coinage

Modern currency: Africa - The Americas - Asia and the Pacific - Europe - Bullion coins - Challenge coin - Commemorative coins - Token coins

Economics: Banking - Bonds - Cheques - Credit Cards - Fiat currency - Gold standard - Mints - Monetary union - Reserve currency - Stocks

Production: Coining (machining) - Designers - Die making - Mint (coin) • Coinage Metals: Aluminum - Bronze - Copper - Gold - Platinum - Silver - Tin

Exonumia - Notaphily - Scripophily

v t e Numismatics related associations
Numismatics	American Numismatic Association American Numismatic Society Armenian Numismatic Society Association of British Philatelic Societies British Numismatic Trade Association British Numismatic Society Royal Canadian Numismatic Association Canadian Paper Money Society International Association of Professional Numismatists Federation of European Numismatic Associations Postal Order Society Rochester Numismatic Association Royal Numismatic Society Royal Numismatic Society of New Zealand Young Numismatists of America
Exonumia	American Vecturist Association
See also	Currency lists Journals Museums Numismatists

List articles

Central banks • Currencies • Circulating currencies • Historical currencies • US community currencies • Canadian community currencies • Mints • Motifs on banknotes • Most expensive coins

edit

Subcategories

Select [►] to view subcategories

Most traded currencies

Most traded currencies by value
Currency distribution of global foreign exchange market turnover^[1]
Rank	Currency	ISO 4217 code	Symbol	Proportion of daily volume, April 2019
1	United States dollar	USD	US$	88.3%
2	Euro	EUR	€	32.3%
3	Japanese yen	JPY	円 / ¥	16.8%
4	Sterling	GBP	£	12.8%
5	Australian dollar	AUD	A$	6.8%
6	Canadian dollar	CAD	C$	5.0%
7	Swiss franc	CHF	CHF	5.0%
8	Renminbi	CNY	元 / ¥	4.3%
9	Hong Kong dollar	HKD	HK$	3.5%
10	New Zealand dollar	NZD	NZ$	2.1%
11	Swedish krona	SEK	kr	2.0%
12	South Korean won	KRW	원 / ₩	2.0%
13	Singapore dollar	SGD	S$	1.8%
14	Norwegian krone	NOK	kr	1.8%
15	Mexican peso	MXN	$	1.7%
16	Indian rupee	INR	₹	1.7%
17	Russian ruble	RUB	₽	1.1%
18	South African rand	ZAR	R	1.1%
19	Turkish lira	TRY	₺	1.1%
20	Brazilian real	BRL	R$	1.1%
21	New Taiwan dollar	TWD	NT$	0.9%
22	Danish krone	DKK	kr	0.6%
23	Polish złoty	PLN	zł	0.6%
24	Thai baht	THB	฿	0.5%
25	Indonesian rupiah	IDR	Rp	0.4%
26	Hungarian forint	HUF	Ft	0.4%
27	Czech koruna	CZK	Kč	0.4%
28	Israeli new shekel	ILS	₪	0.3%
29	Chilean peso	CLP	CLP$	0.3%
30	Philippine peso	PHP	₱	0.3%
31	UAE dirham	AED	د.إ	0.2%
32	Colombian peso	COP	COL$	0.2%
33	Saudi riyal	SAR	﷼	0.2%
34	Malaysian ringgit	MYR	RM	0.1%
35	Romanian leu	RON	L	0.1%
…	Other			2.2%
Total^{[note 1]}				200.0%

Web resources

Things you can do

Here are some tasks awaiting attention:

Collaborate : Finish Assessment, Expand and reorganize style guide, New category structure, Infoboxes: designing and adding to pages, more...
Expand : Coins of Australia, Half sovereign, 5 yen coin, Canadian Silver Maple Leaf, Coins of Ireland, Series of 1928 (United States Currency), Royal Mint, Achaemenid currency, Elymais, Roman provincial coins, Seleucid coinage, Nabataean coinage, South Vietnamese đồng, more...
Featured article candidates : Peace Dollar, more...
Merge : more...
Stubs : Brockage, Cistophorus, Coinage Act of 1849, Zuz (Jewish coin), Polish Mint, more...
Wikify : Twenty pence (English coin), Canadian Silver Maple Leaf, Chinese Silver Panda, Common coin errors, Gold standard, Coin grading, Euro, History of the English penny (1154-1485), Petrocurrency, more...
Others :
- Requested Images: Guinea (British coin), English coin Three Farthings, Palladium coin, Nabataean coinage, Commemorative coins of Poland, more...
- Improve to GA: History of money, Numismatics, Roman currency, Money, Ancient Greek coinage, Fiat currency, United States Mint, Canadian Silver Maple Leaf, Banknotes of Zimbabwe, more...

Associated Wikimedia

The following Wikimedia Foundation sister projects provide more on this subject:

Commons
Free media repository
Wikibooks
Free textbooks and manuals
Wikidata
Free knowledge base
Wikinews
Free-content news
Wikiquote
Collection of quotations
Wikisource
Free-content library
Wikiversity
Free learning tools
Wiktionary
Dictionary and thesaurus

Sources

^ The total sum is 200% because each currency trade always involves a currency pair; one currency is sold (e.g. US$) and another bought (€). Therefore each trade is counted twice, once under the sold currency ($) and once under the bought currency (€). The percentages above are the percent of trades involving that currency regardless of whether it is bought or sold, e.g. the US dollar is bought or sold in 88% of all trades, whereas the euro is bought or sold 32% of the time.