Money is a fairly ancient means of payment. But market relations arose much earlier. For centuries, ancient people made purchases, exchanged goods without the use of coins, banknotes and IOUs. How it was possible to conduct trading operations, and what led to the emergence of modern money - in our material.
What did people expect in ancient times?
Market relations arose as early as 7-8 millennium BC. After the decomposition of the primitive communal society, not only living conditions improved, but also the tools of labor. Thanks to this, people began to have surpluses of manufactured products, which were exchanged for more needed ones.Different peoples had their own items that acted as money. So, for example, hunting tribes exchanged surplus game for grain and fruits from tribes that were engaged in agriculture and gathering, and livestock from pastoralists. In the Pomeranian settlements, the currency was fish, which was exchanged for bread and meat. However, due to various human needs, it was not always possible to reach a mutually beneficial agreement.
The inconvenience of direct exchange led to the emergence of a universal product that was able to satisfy as many requests as possible. Later it was called the general equivalent. In his role in different countries goods of various nature and purpose were presented. Many peoples used livestock as currency. For example, the northern peoples paid with deer, and the ancestors of the Germans - with cows.
Barter - a system of equal exchange
Gradually, direct exchange ceased to be relevant. People began to understand that the products they exchange are not equivalent. Then barter became a system of equal exchange.As a rule, important commodities acted as barter. In some societies it was sugar, furs, ivory, cocoa, and in others cowrie shells, beads, allspice and tobacco leaves. Such an exchange also had its drawbacks, since it was difficult to objectively determine the value of a particular product. For example, it was impossible to say exactly how many sacks of grain should be given for one sheep. In addition, like direct exchange, barter included a human factor in which both parties to the process must mutually come to the conclusion that the transaction is beneficial to both. This factor severely limited the possibility of trade.
Gradually, the system of commodity-money relations became more complicated, which led to the emergence of a market. More than significant goods: honey, gold, jewelry, grain, fur, salt, in some countries slaves served as currency. This contributed to the emergence of fairs. In order to enrich themselves, merchants from different countries began to come to them.
When were coins first minted?
As trade smoothly shifted from local to international, there was an urgent need for a currency that would suit everyone. Initially, these were small ingots from precious metals with different weights and shapes. They were very popular and highly valued. Their authenticity was confirmed by the brand that merchants left on them.The first coins were minted in Lydia, around 700 BC. Unlike weight bars, the state itself was engaged in the manufacture of such a currency. Gold, copper and silver served as the main metal for coinage. But with the advent of the first coins, fakes also appeared. To confirm the value of public money, the government applied an image with an inscription on them. In many countries, counterfeiting was punishable by death.
The emergence of an official currency greatly simplified the economy and strengthened money as a means of payment. Minted coins gradually replaced barter, and the cost of goods began to be calculated according to a special formula. The prices have already included the materials used, the complexity of the work and the time spent. The designation of the cost made it possible to make the process of commodity exchange more convenient, faster and easier.
When did paper money first appear?
Although the coin was firmly established in everyday life, there were also some difficulties with it. For example, it was difficult for merchants to store or transport them, for this purpose they hired special carts and guards. In addition, it was difficult to extract metal for minting coins. This became a prerequisite for the emergence of new means of payment.The first paper money began to be used in China, in the 1st millennium of a new era. The Chinese were the first to think of depositing their savings in "banks". In return, a special document was issued, which indicated the amount that was deposited with the "banker". This allowed people to pay not with coins, but with certificates.
Such receipts circulated all over the world until the 16th century, and their credibility only grew. Such banknotes were small rectangles of paper, each of which was marked with the denomination of the bill. Such money allowed to solve problems with debt notes and really support the economy. In Russia, the first paper money appeared only in 1769 under Catherine II.
It may seem strange, but today not only people have money. An example of this.
It is generally accepted that the beginning of Russian statehood was 882 AD, when the Novgorod prince Oleg and his retinue took the city of Kyiv. It is from this moment that the official history of our state begins. Like other countries, from the very beginning, not only state bodies appeared in Russia, but also money.
The oldest coins found in Russia are Byzantine silver and gold coins.
On the one hand, the portrait of the emperor was depicted on the coin, the other could be occupied by various images, inscriptions and the denomination of the coin. It was this type of coin in Russia that was taken as a model. It is thanks to the Byzantines that we have such modern look coins in real Russia.
Eras and rulers, coats of arms and names changed, and Russia developed and flourished, and the coin evolved with it.
The beginning of minting coins directly in Russia leads us, grateful descendants, to Kievan Rus, where “Srebrenik” appears approximately at the end of the 10th century. The Kyiv prince was depicted on the coin, and next to him the coat of arms of the Rurikids - a soaring falcon in the form of a trident.
However, a full-fledged workshop for the production of coins in Russia at that time did not appear. The main monetary unit was a silver ingot called Hryvnia.
In the 13th century, the technique of money production changed. Now coins began to be made from silver wire. From here comes the name “Ruble”, familiar to all of us, from the fact that ingots were “chopped” from wire. The sizes of ingots were different in weight and shape. Moscow and Novgorod issued their own rubles. Coins were made from the ruble.
But it was all handicraft. The first mass coins in Russia began to be made at the beginning of the 15th century in Moscow, then in the Suzdal principality, and then in Ryazan and Tver. On the first Moscow coins, Dmitry Donskoy was mainly depicted, but often there are coins depicting horsemen, warriors with weapons in their hands, animals, both existing and mythical. This was due to the fact that, as such, the mint did not exist, and the coins were produced by silversmiths, whom the prince personally allowed to mint a coin to replenish the coin fund. So coins were minted even by county princes and rich boyars. On the Moscow coins, on the other hand, an inscription in the Tatar language was depicted. The fact is that already at that time Muscovy was actively conquering the markets of the Volga region, where the main language was Tatar, so the money was “multi-lingual”. This paid off, in the second half of the 15th century and before the inclusion of these lands into Russia, the Russian old coin, called “dengo”, simply held leadership in the region and was an analogue of the dollar in the modern world.
With the centralization of the state and the creation of an internal market, money began to be minted only with Russian inscriptions, and the need to distribute money abroad disappeared.
The next milestone in the history of copper money in Russia is considered to be 1534, the year when the monetary reform of Elena Glinskaya ends. Now in Russia they began to mint money of a single state sample. The horseman with a spear was depicted on the coin, hence the new name came from - “penny”. The kopeck became for a long time the largest coin of the Moscow kingdom.
Silver became the only material for the production of money for a long time. Many kings tried to carry out a monetary reform, copper money was also introduced, and Vasily Shuisky even issued the first gold money, but all this was a drop in the ocean and often failed. So, the copper rebellion even received a separate chapter in the textbooks of history and Moscow studies.
The next step in the development of Russian money was made by the reformer Tsar Peter Alekseevich Romanov, better known as Emperor Peter I. In 1704, Peter carried out a monetary reform. Silver ruble coins appear, fifty dollars, half-fifty dollars, a dime, a patch with the inscription "Ten money" and Altyn, equal to three kopecks.
Now, on one side of the royal coin, a double-headed eagle was depicted - the coat of arms Russian Empire as was customary in all European countries. Since 1730, the coat of arms of the Moscow kingdom - George the Victorious - has appeared on the body of the eagle.
In addition to silver, work was also carried out on a copper coin. The fact is that throughout the reign of Peter I, searches were made for the denomination of a copper coin, so copper coins of this period often changed in weight and shape.
The further development of the coin in Russia was on the rise. Coins became larger in volume, more valuable in weight, the image of emperors became more and more clear and skillful.
With the development of the state, paper money gradually began to appear, the first appeared in the Russian Empire under Mother Empress Catherine II. The final point of coinage in the Russian Empire was 1917, the First World War, revolution. The Russian economy of that period was characterized by the phrase I.A. Vyshnegradsky, Minister of Finance of Russia in 1887-1892, “We won’t finish eating, but we’ll take it out.”
In 1915, it came to the point that the tsarist army did not have shells and cartridges, the soldiers of some units were given axes on long sticks to repel the attacks of the Germans and Austrians. The rich are getting richer and the poor are getting poorer. This state of affairs led to a revolution in February 1917, when bourgeois circles took advantage of the situation, and to the Great October Socialist Revolution. The new government quickly realized the need for their own, new money. The coins of the Soviet era will be discussed in another article...
Coin making is one of the most ancient arts. And like any kind of art, it has evolved along with man. Over the years, views on beauty have changed, technologies have improved, and the situation in the world has also changed. All this was reflected in the history of coinage.
Now the production of coins is an almost completely automated process. But how did a person come to this, and what stages did this ancient art go through? In this article we"let's go" on the history of coinage. We will tell you where the first coins appeared, what the old master medalists became famous for, and how coins are made today.
Ancient world
Before the creation of coins, people in different countries used what was of great value. Somewhere the medium of exchange was cattle, somewhere weapons, and in some countries they even used sugar and ivory. To streamline trade and exchange, a state means of payment was needed. They became coins.
Medal art originated at the end of the 8th - beginning of the 7th century BC. Coins first appeared in Lydia and Ancient Greece. They were made by chasing from an alloy of gold and silver and even put a test.
Medal art began to develop rapidly in Greece. Many works of that time have come down to us, but few names have survived. We know only those of them that were indicated on the coins. These are such masters as Kimon and Evaynet, who worked under Dionysius.
The profession of a medalist has become respected. In Rome, there were medalists at every mint, they had their own corporation and leader. In Greece, engravers were involved in creating designs for coins. They engraved the image directly on the precious stones.
Ancient coins, in comparison with modern ones, were distinguished by a high high relief and an irregular shape of a coin circle. At the same time, Roman coins were seriously inferior to Greek ones in terms of artistic beauty, but were closer to modern ones due to their roundness and bas-relief.
Middle Ages
In the Middle Ages and until the Renaissance itself, the medal art of Europe was undeveloped: the coins had a flat relief, the coin itself was thin and looked like a metal plaque. True, there is an exception to this rule.
In the German states of the 12th century, coins were still of high artistic quality. And such bracteates received their heyday during the time of Frederick I Barbarossa.
Coin stamps were then made by professional engravers. The style of that era was even transferred to the coins - they can be attributed to the late Romanesque art. The figures of rulers and saints were depicted on the coins in a symmetrical frame of architectural elements. Although the figures were stylized, the small details on them were carefully worked out - armor, clothes, attributes of power.
Kievan Rus
In Kievan Rus, the coins of Prince Vladimir, Prince Svyatopolk and Yaroslav the Wise were engraved by Byzantine masters. But at the beginning of the 9th century, they stopped minting coins in Russia.
There were several reasons for this: Russia broke up into separate principalities, and there was no need for a single state coin. And later, during the yoke, there was an economic and political decline in the country. As a result, medal art was forgotten for a while.
Where the medallions for coins of the 13th-15th centuries came from remains a mystery. It is only known that under Ivan III, Aristotle Fioravanti was discharged from Italy. In addition to creating architecture, the master was also engaged in engraving coins.
rebirth
During the Renaissance, the monetary art of Europe was revived. Venetian medals and the name of the painter Antonio Pisano, who during this period cast medals for the Byzantine emperor, have come down to us.
Then other great masters appeared - Leone Leoni, Sperandio di Mantova, Maria Pomedello, Jean Duan, Annibale Fontana ... They made coins from bronze and relied on the style of antique samples.
In Germany of that time, the first religious scenes appeared on coins, thanks to Albrecht Dürer, Heinrich Reitz, Friedrich Hagenatzer and other great masters.
Russia
As for Russian coins, there were no elegantly engraved coins in Russia before Peter I. It was only under him that medalists began to be issued to Russia and orders were made to make coins. It was by order of Peter I that the first series of commemorative medals dedicated to the Great Northern War was created.
And in the time of Catherine II, for the first time, attention was paid to the artistry of making coins. At the same time, a medal class was founded at the Imperial Academy of Arts. It was led by the Frenchman Pierre-Louis Vernier.
Leading medalist Russia XVIII century was Timofey Ivanov. He made many medals and commemorative signs dedicated to historical events under Peter I and Catherine II.
Under Alexander I and Nicholas I, the talent of the medalist Count F. P. Tolstoy was noted. He made medallions dedicated to the events Patriotic War 1812.
About coin minting technology
The production of a coin always began with the creation of a sketch drawing. Then, according to the sketch, a stucco model was created from sculptural plasticine. This model was sculpted on the board with the help of special pointed sticks of different sizes. The sculpted model did not yet quite correspond to the future product - it was 3-4 times larger than the intended coin.
Then a plaster cast was cast from the model. And already from a plaster cast, a new casting was made from hard cast iron by electroplating. Further, a steel punch was made from a convex model using a pantograph - an engraving machine. Its format already corresponded to the designed medal or coin.
Then, if necessary, the master corrected the image with a engraver. After all, only using manual labor, you can give the product liveliness. Then the punch was hardened and used to extrude a matrix or stamp, with the help of which coins or medals were minted.
This technology for creating coins came to us from past centuries. Some mints still use it now, while others fully automate production. But there are many other processes in coinage that directly affect the appearance of the coin and its quality.
The quality of minting coins - what is the difference
The division of coins according to the quality of minting came to us from England. This classification divides coins into two main types: made in normal quality and in improved quality. Let's see what this difference is.
Coins of ordinary quality in the classification are calleduncirculated. In this capacity, they make coins that we use in circulation, as well as some investment coins.
They are made in automated production in large quantities and manual labor is used to a small extent. Therefore, the requirements for the appearance and design of uncirculated coins are small. They should be of the same weight, thickness and diameter, with a simple pattern. In general, what is just right for large print runs at low cost.
As a rule, uncirculated quality coins have a metallic sheen over the entire surface. They do not have mirror surfaces, the relief does not stand out, there are no small details in the drawings. According to the classification, small bevels on the edges of the edging, small scratches or spots are allowed on such coins. These damages appear due to minting in large quantities.
An improved form of uncirculated coins is calleddiamond-uncirculated. They have a smooth and shiny surface, the drawings are more detailed and elaborate. On such coins, chips or scratches are no longer allowed.
The next type of coin quality is the highest, orproof.Coins in this capacity are made in small quantities and with a high proportion of manual labor. Each stamp is carefully worked out by the master in order to obtain a smooth mirror surface and a matte pattern that contrasts on it.
The peculiarity of proof quality lies in the very process of chasing - in order for the pattern to be perfect, the stamp necessarily hits the workpiece twice. As a result, we get a product on which there are no scratches or bumps. Coins as proof are the most valuable: both for the artistry of execution and for the quality itself.
Another kind of coin quality isproof like, or similar to a proof. These coins are similar in appearance to proof, but the technology of their minting may differ. For example, the impact on the workpiece could be made once. Proof-like coins are also valuable and are in demand by collectors and numismatists.
Old masters and new school
Fyodor Tolstoy believed that true mastery in the manufacture of coins is impossible without a free command of graphics.
Only after creating the drawing, according to Tolstoy, it was worth starting to sculpt the model. This method of creating coins required from the master not only artistic knowledge, but the technical, professional skill of a real engraver. It was with this method of work that it was possible to preserve the individual handwriting of the master.
These foundations were known and passed on to the next generation. For example, in the medal class of the Imperial Academy of Arts, students studied not only drawing and sculpture, but also engraving on steel, as well as heat treatment stamps.
Among the outstanding medalists who mastered the technologies of working with steel were F.P. Tolstoy, I.A. Shilov, K A. Leberecht, A.P. Lyalin, P.S. Utkin, V.S. Baranov.
Later, in the 19th century, some medalists began to confine themselves to making only sketch drawings. Engravers were already engaged in the execution of stamps. Thus, the medals lost their individuality, the artist's handwriting was lost.
Progress does not stand still, and now almost any coin production process is automated. All engraving work is done by special engraving machines, and the creation of a 3D model is handed over to designers. But unfortunately, not all of them have the experience and education of an engraver. After all, even after the most modern equipment, after creating a high-quality 3D model, it is necessary that the hand of the master touches the stamp. This is the only way to create a product that will have artistic value.
Engraving requires a lot of knowledge and skills, a lot of experience, diligence, diligence. An art education is absolutely necessary so that the plots created by the hands of the master have artistic value, the products are alive. So that the portraits and figures of people depicted by the engraver have one hundred percent resemblance to the original.
Modern technologies of medal art dictate strict requirements for the relief of the medal. It should be such that its highest details are concentrated in the center of the composition, and then lowered. In this case, the height of the relief should be small. This state of affairs limited the artistic impulse of the sculptors and led to the loss of many technologies for sculpting medals.
The situation that occurred in the 2000s clearly reflects the state of affairs. The NATO delegation came to Russia on a visit and presented gifts to the General Staff of the Russian Federation. The Russian government decided to respond with worthy memorable gifts.
Employees of the General Staff turned to the best coin production in the country to make commemorative medals according to their own sketch. But they were refused, because they could not fulfill the order. The complexity of the work lay precisely in the relief. Its height was 1.5 mm per side (usually 0.6-0.8 on average), the diameter was 90 mm.
As a result, they turned to our jewelry house. Its founder Sergey Ivanovich Kvashnin agreed and in a month completed the entire scope of work. The stamp was made by hand. So it turned out that Vyatka is the center of medal art in Russia. The medals made by Sergei Ivanovich were presented by the General Staff to strategic partners and delegations of other countries.
At all times, jewelers involved in jewelry production were considered special people. After all, engraving is the highest skill of jewelry art. The engraver knows all jewelry techniques and techniques, but a jeweler who does not know engraving business will not be able to create a product of such a level as an engraver.
In any art, it is important to preserve traditions and know history. You can verify the continuity of quality by visiting our And also do not forget to update our blog so as not to miss new interesting articles.
Numismatists believe that the first large coins appeared in Lydia. This was the name of a small ancient state on the western coast of modern Turkey. It arose in the 7th century BC.
Busy trade routes to Ancient Greece and the countries of the East passed through Lydia. Here, it was necessary to simplify trade transactions early on, which was a hindrance to heavy ingots. The Lydians guessed to make the very first coins from electrum - a natural alloy of silver and gold. Pieces of this metal, similar in shape to beans, which they used as a bargaining chip, began to flatten and at the same time put the sign of the city on them.
These coins were called kroeseids, after the legendary untold rich Lydian king Croesus, who lived in 595-546 BC, more than two and a half thousand years ago.
A few decades later, coins were minted in the Greek city of Aegina. They had a completely different appearance than the Lydian ones, and were minted from silver. Therefore, it can be assumed that in Aegina the coin was invented, albeit later, but independently. From Lydia and Aegina, coins spread very quickly throughout Greece, in its colonies, in Iran, and then among the Romans and among many barbarian tribes.
A little later than the round cruseids, round coins appeared in distant China. There, for a long time in seven Chinese states, bronze money was widely distributed in the form of various household items: knives, bells, shovels, swords, hoes. Many of these coins had holes for stringing. The ancient Chinese were especially fond of the “shoulder fish” coins. However, such a variety of money in the III century BC. the end has come.
At this time, Qin-shihuangdi - the First Qin sovereign (he lived in 259-210 BC) united all of China under his rule in the Qin empire ... In addition to many important things, such as the construction of the Great Wall of China, which protected China from the raids of nomads, Qin-shihuangdi abolished all the bronze money that used to go before - all these bells and knives - and introduced a single money for the whole state - liang. It was a round coin with a square hole in the center... Liang was also destined to live up to our time.
On the market, there were coins of dozens of cities in circulation, differing in appearance, weight and value. A coin of one city was worth several coins of another, since it could be made of pure gold, and not an alloy of gold and silver. Coins with some emblems enjoyed a special advantage, as they were distinguished by their solidity and purity of metal.
Coins of the ancient Greeks
There were several city-states in Ancient Greece: Athens, Sparta; Corinth, Argos, Syracuse... Each of them cast their own coins - rectangular and round. The most different on them were stamps and images. Most often they depicted gods or sacred animals revered in the city where the coin was issued. After all, each city-state was patronized by its own celestial.
So, in Olympia, in the same place where the Olympic Games were first held, they depicted the god of thunder - Zeus. Often with an eagle in the palm. In Athens, on the coins on one side was placed the profile of the wise daughter of Zeus Athena, and on the other - an owl, which was considered a sacred bird. According to her, these coins were called owls.
The coins of Olbia, a Greek city on the northern coast of the Black Sea, were cast in the shape of a dolphin, and then on the round coins of this city an eagle was depicted tormenting a dolphin with its claws. In Chersonese, the goddess Virgo was revered. Her image was also placed on the first coins.
In other cities, in Syracuse, for example, the god of light and poetry Apollo in a laurel wreath was on the coins. On the coins of Corinth, the winged horse Pegasus was minted. According to him they were called foals. The patron saint of shepherds and hunters Pan and the mighty hero Hercules were also depicted on the coins...
The ancient Greeks had their own coin account. They called a small silver coin an obol. Six breaks made up a drachma, two drachmas - a stater. The smallest coin was a mite (one hundred lepta was a drachma).
Coins in Ancient Rome.
In the old days they said: "All roads lead to Rome." Ancient Rome was a powerful state. It was famous not only for the valiant cohorts of warriors who conquered many countries and tribes, but also for the luxury of Roman palaces, the wealth of the nobility, the construction of giant aqueducts (water flowed to Rome through them), magnificent thermae (public baths) and, of course, trade.
Merchants from Africa and Asia, from Britain and Scythia brought a variety of goods to the Roman market. There were fabrics, and carpets, and grain, and fruits, and ornaments, and weapons. They also traded here a living commodity - slaves, because Rome was a slave-owning state. From their numerous campaigns, Roman soldiers drove huge crowds of slaves to Rome.
What kind of money "went" in Ancient Rome? The very first Roman coins were called asses. They were cast from copper, and they still had a rectangular shape. Over time, asses became round, and an image of the two-faced god Janus appeared on them. He was considered the god of all beginnings (for example, the first month of the year - January - is named after Janus).
Following the asses in Rome, silver denarii began to be minted, equal to the value of 10 asses (denarius - consisting of ten). Another silver coin was also in use - the sistertium (one-fourth of a denarius). These coins depicted Roman gods, heroes of myths, monetary tools: anvil, hammer, tongs.
Often, on the coins of the Roman Empire, a portrait of the emperor was minted, his titles were placed, and sometimes words that were of a propaganda nature, glorifying the policy of this ruler. Now the mint vouched for the quality of the coin no longer as a deity and not as a city emblem. Behind it stood a mighty state, personified by the emperor.
Jewelry coins.
Let's listen to the word "monisto". Is it true that there is a connection with the “coin” in it? Monisto is an ornament in the form of beads or necklaces made of coins. From time immemorial, Slavic women wore such jewelry, stringing coins on thin cords (gaitans), around their necks. We can safely say that the first collectors of coins were just Slavic women of fashion.
After all, there were Arabic, Greek, Roman, Kievan Rus, Hungarian coins in their necklaces. Isn't it surprising? .. Headdresses and dresses were also decorated with coins. In many families, such jewelry passed from generation to generation, “accumulating” and replenishing all the time with new specimens.
Therefore, a dress, for example, from a large number of coins became heavy, like knightly armor. What attracted the coins of fashionistas? Glitter? Melodic ringing? Of course. But also the fact that each of them is an elegant work of art. Each one can be viewed for hours. That is why the craftsmen decorated with coins and jewelry.
Nowadays, no one can imagine life without money. But it was not always so. When did they enter people's lives? It is known that the first money was in the form of coins.
Scientists and archaeologists are still arguing about the true age of the first coin on Earth. A lot of research has been done by experts in this field to determine the exact date of its appearance. They studied ancient sources and tried to understand the purpose of such an invention. It is amazing to imagine how hundreds of years ago, before primitive civilization, people found a way to pay for their needs.
What does history testify?
It proves with indisputable accuracy that the oldest coins in the world appeared in Asia Minor (approximately the territory of modern Turkey). Who created the first coin? What are the legends about its creation? You will find out the answers to these questions by reading the article in its entirety.
Finding the very first coin in the world
“The Lydians were the first of the people who learned to mint and use silver and gold coins ...” - Herodotus reported. What does this mean and who are the Lydians? Let's look into these issues. The thing is that the first coins in the world, the year of minting of which is not exactly known, are coins from the city of Lydia (Asia Minor).
Stater or stater is the first known to people coin. It was popular in ancient Greece from the 5th century BC. e. to the 1st century AD e. On the this moment It has been established that the coins were made under the Lydian king Ardis, in 685 BC. e.
On the territory of their city, the inhabitants of Lydia discovered the richest deposit of a natural alloy of gold and silver. This alloy is called electrum, and gold staters began to be made from it.
One of the oldest coins in the world was sold at auction in 2012 in New York for $650,000. Lydia was close to Greece, and due to this geographical location, there was some cultural similarity. Because of this, staters came into circulation in ancient Greece and neighboring states. Some sources claim that the oldest coins in the world were in circulation even among the ancient Celts.
The earliest staters that have survived to this day are of a very primitive appearance. One side of the coin is blank, while the other shows the head of a roaring lion. The first stateir was found in Palestine and is approximately 2700-3000 years old. Below is a photo of the oldest coin in the world.
First silver coin
Lydian craftsmen began to mint gold and silver coins and use them as a means of payment. This became possible thanks to new methods for the purification of valuable metals. The world's oldest pure silver coin was discovered in Greece and minted in Aegina. These coins were also called Aegina drachmas. On one side of the piece of silver was a turtle - the symbol of the city of Aegina.
The minted Aegina coins quickly spread in Greece, and then even penetrated into Iran. A little later, they began to be popular in many barbarian tribes. Looking at a drawing or photo of the first coin in the world, you can understand that it was small in size and looked like a silver plate.
The then pieces of silver were very different from modern coins. They were very bulky and nondescript, some of them weighed about 6 grams, and on the front side there was only a sign of the city. On the reverse side of the coin, you can see traces of spikes, with which the coin plate was held during minting.
Illinois coin
Some archaeologists claim that the legend of the Lydian coin (stater) is incorrect. A strange story is known in world archeology about how an old metal plate similar to a coin was discovered in the United States, the age of which was only a few decades old.
The story goes: in the state of Illinois in 1870 on the Lawn of the Ridge while drilling an artesian well, one of the workers - Jacob Moffit - stumbled upon a round plate of copper alloy. The thickness and size of the plate resembled an American coin of that time, equal to 25 cents.
coins from Illinois
This coin could not be called primitive, as it looked quite interesting. On one of its sides two human figures were depicted: one large and wearing a headdress, and the other small. On the reverse side of the plate was an image of a strange animal, which curled up. It had huge eyes and a mouth, elongated pointed ears, a long tail and clawed feet.
Historians call this find a medallion or a coin. By the way, along the edges of the plate there were inscriptions similar to hieroglyphs that have not been able to decipher so far.
The first mention of a coin from Illinois
The earliest mention of this coin was made by Michigan geologist Alexander Winchell in his book Sparks from the Geologist's Hammer. He used in it information obtained from notes made by an eyewitness to the find, William Wilmot, in 1871.
In 1876, Professor Winchell introduced the plate to the world at a meeting of the American Association. Many geologists considered this act a hoax and thought that this coin was nothing but a fake.
Now, unfortunately, it is impossible to confirm or deny the authenticity of this find, since it has not survived to this day. All that remains of her is a description and a sketch.
The oddity of this story is that some of the facts contradict themselves. Imagine that the coin really existed, but then many questions arise. The depth at which the oldest coin in the world was found is 35 meters, and these are layers 200 thousand years old. It turns out that civilization already existed in America then? Even so, it is unlikely that the Indians who lived in the pre-Columbian era knew how to get a copper alloy.
The first Russian gold coin
The first coin made of gold in ancient Russia was called zlatnik or spool. It began to be minted in Kyiv in the 10th-11th centuries after the Baptism of Russia by Prince Vladimir. There is no exact information about the true name of the first Russian coins. The term “zlatnik” is traditionally used, which is known thanks to the text of the Byzantine-Russian treaty dating back to 912. The oldest coins in the world are only 11 pieces.
The first spool was purchased by G. Bunge in Kyiv in 1796 from a soldier who received the coin from his mother. In 1815, the spool was purchased and lost by Mogilyansky. Initially, gold coins were considered analogues of Bulgarian or Serbian coinage. However, later it became possible to determine the true - Old Russian - origin of these coins. This was achieved thanks to the found treasures with coins, their research and decoding of the inscriptions on them.
Famous finds of silver and gold coins
The news that gold coins and pieces of silver were nevertheless of ancient Russian origin cast doubt on the entire collection of Byzantine coins in the Hermitage. Four gold coins were found near Pinsk. Every year the number of pieces of silver found increased, and this served as clear evidence of the existence of a monetary system in ancient Russia.
The final argument was the treasure found in Nizhyn in 1852, in which, among other valuable things, about two hundred pieces of silver were found. Every year the number of silver coins found increased and, thanks to this, more and more private collections appeared.
Appearance of the goldsmith
On the front side of the coin was a portrait of Prince Vladimir in a headdress with a cross in right hand and left, lying on the chest. A trident was depicted on top - a characteristic sign of the Rurik family. Around the circle was an inscription in Cyrillic, which read: Vladimir on the throne.
On the back of the coin was depicted the figure of Christ, in whose left hand the Gospel, and the right was in a blessing position. Around the circle, as well as on the front side, there was also an inscription: Jesus Christ.
The physical characteristics of the goldfish
The spool diameter was 19-24 mm, and the weight was about 4-4.5 g. All currently known zlatniks were minted with coin dies connected to each other. The size of the imprint for the front side of the coin corresponded to the stamp for the reverse side.
At the moment, 6 pairs of stamps are known. The inscriptions and images on them are very carefully made, and in the same style. However, each stamp is different. According to the descriptions, it is known that three pairs of stamps were apparently made by the same person, as they were made very carefully.
The next pair is made rather rough, and a letter is missing from the inscription on the front side. The remaining two pairs of stamps, in all likelihood, were copied from the previous ones. The master, most likely, was inexperienced, since he retained only the general appearance of the coin, and such a detail as the position of Christ's hands was changed. The letters of the inscription are also not quite right, not the same as in previous versions of the spools.
- Coin plates were cast using collapsible coinage molds, as is clear from appearance spools.
- The average weight of the spool is 4.2 g, later this value was taken as the basis of the weight unit in ancient Russia.
- The appearance of Russian coins contributed to the revival of cultural and trade relations with Byzantium.
- The Byzantine solidi, made under the emperors Constantine VIII and Basil II, served as a model for Vladimir's spools. Zlatniks were similar to Byzantine solidi in their weight and the arrangement of the design on the coin plate.
- In 1988, the 1000th anniversary of ancient Russian coinage was celebrated, in honor of this event, a gold coin was issued with the image of Prince Vladimir.
- The minting of gold coins lasted only a few years during the life of Prince Vladimir, and after his death it never resumed.
The use of ancient Russian coins has an exclusively commercial meaning, because the zlatnik has never been used as an object of ritual, a gift or an award.