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 categorised by collectors 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 or instant noodles 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.[dubious ] Many objects have been used for centuries, such as cowry shells, precious metals, cocoa beans, large stones, and gems. (Full article...)
The coins of the Swiss franc are the official coins used in Switzerland and Liechtenstein. The name of the subunit is centime in French and internationally, Rappen in German, centesimo in Italian, and rap in Romansh. There are coins in denominations of 5 centimes, 10 centimes, 20 centimes, 1⁄2 franc (50 centimes), 1 franc, 2 francs, and 5 francs.
All coins have the legend of either HELVETIA or CONFŒDERATIO HELVETICA, the Latin name of the Swiss Confederation, along with the year number. The 5, 10, and 20 centimes coins show a head of Liberty in profile, designed by Karl Schwenzer (1879). The 1⁄2, 1, and 2 francs coins show a standing figure of the national personification Helvetia, designed by Albert Walch (1860). The 5 francs coin on the obverse shows a portrait of an "alpine herdsman" (Alphirte), designed by Paul Burkhard (1922), and on the reverse the federal coat of arms;
additionally it has the inscription DOMINUS PROVIDEBIT embossed on the edge. (Full article...)The American Buffalo, also known as a gold buffalo, is a 24-karat bullion coin first offered for sale by the United States Mint in 2006. The coin follows the design of the Indian Head nickel and has gained its nickname from the American Bison on the reverse side of the design. This was the first time the United States Government minted pure (.9999) 24-karat gold coins for the public. The coin contains one-troy ounce (31.1g) of pure gold and has a legal tender (face) value of US$50. Due to a combination of the coin's popularity and the increase in the price of gold, the coin's value has increased considerably. The initial 2006 U.S. Mint price of the proof coin was $800. In 2007 the price was $899.95, $1,410 in 2009, and $2,010 in 2011.
In addition to requiring a presidential dollar coin series to begin in 2007 and redesigning the cent in 2009, the Presidential $1 Coin Act of 2005 mandated the production of a one-ounce 24-karat gold bullion coin with a face value of $50 and a mintage limit of up to 300,000 coins. (Full article...)Money - Coins - Banknotes - Electronic money - Exchange rate - Legal tender - Clubs - Terminology
Ancient currency: Asia - Byzantium - Greece - Primitive Money - Roman - Indian coinage
Modern currency: Africa - The Americas - Asia and the Pacific - Europe - Bullion coins - Challenge coin - Commemorative coins - Token coins
Economics: Banking - Bonds - Cheques - Credit Cards - Fiat currency - Gold standard - Mints - Monetary union - Reserve currency - Stocks
Production: Coining (machining) - Designers - Die making - Mint (coin) • Coinage Metals: Aluminum - Bronze - Copper - Gold - Platinum - Silver - Tin
Rank | Currency | ISO 4217 code |
Symbol or abbreviation |
Proportion of daily volume | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
April 2019 | April 2022 | ||||
1 | U.S. dollar | USD | US$ | 88.3% | 88.5% |
2 | Euro | EUR | € | 32.3% | 30.5% |
3 | Japanese yen | JPY | ¥ / 円 | 16.8% | 16.7% |
4 | Sterling | GBP | £ | 12.8% | 12.9% |
5 | Renminbi | CNY | ¥ / 元 | 4.3% | 7.0% |
6 | Australian dollar | AUD | A$ | 6.8% | 6.4% |
7 | Canadian dollar | CAD | C$ | 5.0% | 6.2% |
8 | Swiss franc | CHF | CHF | 4.9% | 5.2% |
9 | Hong Kong dollar | HKD | HK$ | 3.5% | 2.6% |
10 | Singapore dollar | SGD | S$ | 1.8% | 2.4% |
11 | Swedish krona | SEK | kr | 2.0% | 2.2% |
12 | South Korean won | KRW | ₩ / 원 | 2.0% | 1.9% |
13 | Norwegian krone | NOK | kr | 1.8% | 1.7% |
14 | New Zealand dollar | NZD | NZ$ | 2.1% | 1.7% |
15 | Indian rupee | INR | ₹ | 1.7% | 1.6% |
16 | Mexican peso | MXN | $ | 1.7% | 1.5% |
17 | New Taiwan dollar | TWD | NT$ | 0.9% | 1.1% |
18 | South African rand | ZAR | R | 1.1% | 1.0% |
19 | Brazilian real | BRL | R$ | 1.1% | 0.9% |
20 | Danish krone | DKK | kr | 0.6% | 0.7% |
21 | Polish złoty | PLN | zł | 0.6% | 0.7% |
22 | Thai baht | THB | ฿ | 0.5% | 0.4% |
23 | Israeli new shekel | ILS | ₪ | 0.3% | 0.4% |
24 | Indonesian rupiah | IDR | Rp | 0.4% | 0.4% |
25 | Czech koruna | CZK | Kč | 0.4% | 0.4% |
26 | UAE dirham | AED | د.إ | 0.2% | 0.4% |
27 | Turkish lira | TRY | ₺ | 1.1% | 0.4% |
28 | Hungarian forint | HUF | Ft | 0.4% | 0.3% |
29 | Chilean peso | CLP | CLP$ | 0.3% | 0.3% |
30 | Saudi riyal | SAR | ﷼ | 0.2% | 0.2% |
31 | Philippine peso | PHP | ₱ | 0.3% | 0.2% |
32 | Malaysian ringgit | MYR | RM | 0.2% | 0.2% |
33 | Colombian peso | COP | COL$ | 0.2% | 0.2% |
34 | Russian ruble | RUB | ₽ | 1.1% | 0.2% |
35 | Romanian leu | RON | L | 0.1% | 0.1% |
36 | Peruvian sol | PEN | S/ | 0.1% | 0.1% |
37 | Bahraini dinar | BHD | .د.ب | 0.0% | 0.0% |
38 | Bulgarian lev | BGN | BGN | 0.0% | 0.0% |
39 | Argentine peso | ARS | ARG$ | 0.1% | 0.0% |
… | Other | 1.8% | 2.3% | ||
Total[note 1] | 200.0% | 200.0% |
|
|
Here are some tasks awaiting attention:
|
The following Wikimedia Foundation sister projects provide more on this subject: