Before the first coins appeared, their function was performed by various other objects: shells, grain, livestock, etc. As trade developed, the role of money shifted to metal products: they were highly valued because they were made from precious rocks and came in a variety of shapes and weights.
The ancient Greeks believed that their mythical heroes first invented coins. The Romans believed that the authorship of the creation of the first banknotes belonged to their gods. According to their ideas, it was the god Janus who made the very first coins: on them he minted a ship’s bow in honor of Saturn, the god of time.
The Latin word "coin" can be translated as "warning". The Romans used this epithet to accompany the name of Juno, the goddess of marriage and birth, wife of Jupiter. She repeatedly warned the inhabitants of Rome about impending disasters or enemies. In the vicinity of her temple, craftsmen worked in the production of metal money, which is where the name of the coins came from. The word "mantle" has the same root. It symbolizes the predetermination of human destiny by judicial decisions.
Herodotus' version
Herodotus was an ancient Greek scholar who studied history and lived in the 5th century BC. In his works he stated that the first coins appeared in Lydia. This country was located in Asia Minor. 
Contemporary scientists have clearly established the fact that coins were actually first made here around 685. BC. This happened during the reign of Ardis; the state was engaged self-production coins The materials for their production were gold and silver alloys. A sample was stamped on the obverse side of the coin, and on the opposite side was an Assyrian lion, or rather its head.
Monetary history
Many decades later, coins began to be produced in Aegina, Greece. It is believed that banknotes appeared in this city later than in Lydia, but independently and independently of the Malaysian country. The Aeginean coins were silver and had a different shape from the Lydian coins. 
Coins soon appeared throughout Greek territory, and then in Persia. Then they came to the Roman Empire. Indian and chinese coins appeared separately and independently. And only the king of Lydia, whose name was Croesus, adopted the standard - 98 percent precious metals. A royal seal with a coat of arms on the obverse was also installed. These were the heads of a bull and a lion.
Coins have become a convenient item of exchange, so they have gained great popularity
Their shape was very different: round, four- or polygonal, etc. In addition, they were easy to store, they had a fairly small weight and size, and the conditional value remained just as high.
In those days, Lydia lay at the crossroads of many roads. All trade routes to the countries of the East and Ancient Greece passed through its territory. This is where the urgent need to simplify trade transactions arose. And this was seriously hindered by heavy ingots, which acted as the money supply. The inventive Lydians were the first to think of making metal coins from electrum, which is a natural alloy of gold and silver. Small fragments of this metal, shaped like beans, began to be flattened, applying the city sign to their surface. These symbolic pieces of metal began to be used as bargaining chip. The first Lydian coins received their name in honor of the Lydian king Croesus, who, according to legends, possessed untold wealth. This is how the world saw krozeids - the first metal money with an image.
Money turnover
A few decades later, the rulers of the Greek city of Aegina began minting their own coins. Outwardly, they were not at all similar to the Lydian creuseids and were cast from pure silver. Therefore, historians argue that metal coins in Aegina were invented independently, but a little later. Coins from Aegina and Lydia very quickly began to move throughout the territory of Greece, moved to Iran, and then appeared among the Romans, eventually conquering many barbarian tribes.
Gradually, coins from many cities entered the market, differing from each other in weight, type and value. The minted coin of one city could cost several times more than the coins of another because it could be cast from pure gold and not from an alloy. At the same time, coins with images or emblems were valued much higher, because were distinguished by the purity of the metal and fullness. The mark of the mint that minted money enjoyed unshakable authority among all residents.
Greek coins
In the territory Ancient Greece There were several city-states: Corinth, Athens, Sparta, Syracuse, and each of them had its own mint, minting its own coins. They were of different shapes, they had various stamps on them, but most often they were images of sacred animals or gods who were revered in the city where the coin was minted.
For example, in Syracuse, the god of poetry Apollo was depicted on the coins, and the winged Pegasus soared on the coins of Corinth.
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 back in the 7th century BC.
Busy trade routes to Ancient Greece and the countries of the East passed through Lydia. Here, early on, there was a need to simplify trade transactions, which was hindered by heavy ingots. The Lydians figured out how 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 bargaining chips, began to be flattened and at the same time put on them the sign of the city.
These coins were called Croesoids, named after the legendary immensely rich Lydian king Croesus, who lived in 595-546 BC, more than two and a half thousand years ago.
A few decades later, coins began to be 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, although later, but independently. From Lydia and Aegina, coins very quickly spread throughout Greece, in its colonies, in Iran, and then among the Romans and many barbarian tribes.
A little later, round coins appeared in distant China. There, for a long time, in seven Chinese states, bronze money was widespread in the form of various household items: knives, bells, spades, swords, hoes. Many of these coins had holes for stringing on a cord. The ancient Chinese were especially fond of “shovel fish” coins. However, such a variety of money in the 3rd 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 matters, such as the construction of the Great Wall of China, which protected China, from the raids of nomads, Qin Shi Huang abolished all the previously used bronze money - all these bells and knives - and introduced a single money for the entire state - liang. It was a round coin with a square hole in the center... Liang was also destined to live to our time.
There were coins from dozens of cities in circulation on the market, differing in type, weight and value. The coin of one city was worth several coins of another, since it could be made of pure gold, and not of an alloy of gold and silver. Coins with some emblems enjoyed a special advantage, as they were distinguished by the weight and purity of the metal.
Coins of the ancient Greeks
In Ancient Greece there were several city-states: Athens, Sparta; Corinth, Argos, Syracuse... Each of them had its own coins cast - rectangular and round. There were a variety of stamps and images on them. 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 being.
So, in Olympia, the very place where the Olympic Games were first held, the thunder god Zeus was depicted. Often with an eagle in the palm. In Athens, coins had the profile of the wise daughter of Zeus, Athena, on one side, and an owl, which was considered a sacred bird, on the other. According to her, these coins were called owls.
The coins of Olbia, a Greek city on the northern shore of the Black Sea, were cast in the shape of a dolphin, and then on the round coins of this city they depicted an eagle tormenting a dolphin with its claws. In Chersonesus the goddess Virgo was revered. Her image was also placed on the first coins.
In other cities, in Syracuse, for example, on coins there was the god of light and poetry Apollo in a laurel wreath. The winged horse Pegasus was minted on the coins of Corinth. According to him, they were called foals. The patron of shepherds and hunters, Pan, as well as the mighty hero Hercules were also depicted on coins...
The ancient Greeks had their own coin account. They called a small silver coin an obol. Six obloms constituted a drachma, two drachmas constituted a stater. The smallest coin was the lepta (one hundred lepta made 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 (through which water flowed to Rome), magnificent baths (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, carpets, grain, fruits, jewelry, and weapons. They also traded here live goods - slaves, because Rome was a slave state. From their many campaigns, Roman soldiers brought huge crowds of slaves to Rome.
What kind of money was “circulated” in Ancient Rome? The very first Roman coins were called ases. They were cast from copper, and they also had a rectangular shape. Over time, the aces became round, and the 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 - was named after Janus).
Following the asses, silver denarii began to be minted in Rome, equal to the value of 10 assams (denarius - consisting of ten). There was also another silver coin in use - the sistertius (one fourth of a denarius). These coins depicted Roman gods, heroes of myths, and coining tools: anvil, hammer, and tongs.
Often, on the coins of the Roman Empire, a portrait of the emperor was minted, his titles were placed, and sometimes words were of a propaganda nature, glorifying the policies of this ruler. Now it was no longer the deity or the city emblem that vouched for the quality of the coin. Behind it stood a powerful state, personified by the emperor.
Coins-decorations.
Let's listen to the word "monisto". Is it true that there is a connection with the “coin” in it? Monisto is a decoration in the form of beads or necklaces made from coins. Since ancient times, such decorations, strung with coins on thin cords (gaitans), were worn around the neck by Slavic women. We can safely say that the first coin collectors were Slavic fashionistas.
After all, their necklaces contained Arab, Greek, Roman, Kievan Rus, and Hungarian coins. Isn't this surprising?.. Headdresses and dresses were also decorated with coins. In many families, such decorations passed from generation to generation, “overgrown” and replenished with new pieces all the time.
Therefore, a dress, for example, from a large number of coins became heavy, like knightly armor. What attracted fashionistas to coins? Glitter? Melodious ringing? Certainly. But also because each of them is an elegant work of art. Each one can be looked at for hours. That is why the craftsmen decorated jewelry with coins.
Jupiter's assistant
Surely, you can find a couple of coins in every person’s wallet. They are convenient to pay in transport or buy coffee from the machine. And not many people thought about where and how the very first coin was made.
The word “coin” itself came to us from Latin and is translated as “advisor”. It was this title that Juno, the wife of Jupiter, had. Juno was believed to predict enemy attacks or natural disasters for the Romans. Near the Temple of Juno (located near Rome) there were workshops where metal coins were minted. However, these are not the very first coins.
Ancient find
As a result of multiple excavations, it was established that the very first coin was a stater. This coin was discovered in the territory of ancient Lydia. Now this territory belongs to Palestine and Turkey. Archaeologists have determined that the age of this coin is at least 3200 years. Research has led archaeologists to believe that the creator of the coin was Phi Don (VII century BC). Phi Don was the ruler of the island of Aegina. It was on this island that one of the most ancient mints was located. Also, there is an opinion that the first coin appeared under King Ardis (685 BC).
The stater was made from an alloy of silver and gold. This alloy is commonly called electrum. One side of the coin had a lion on it, while the other side was blank. From other sources you can find out that there was a stamp on the reverse side that indicated the value of the coin. The shape of the stater was oval, not round, as it is now. Initially, the stater was made of gold or silver. One gold stater was worth between 20 and 28 drachmas. Also, one gold stater could be exchanged for 2 silver staters. Around the same period (5th century BC), dariks began to appear - coins made of high-grade gold. It is believed that the darik is the very first coin made of pure gold. Based on this opinion, the first coin made of pure gold appeared under the Lydian king Croesus.
A lion is more valuable than a turtle
It was later determined that there were coins with the image of a sea turtle. These coins had a lower value than those depicting a roaring lion (stater). Also, coins with images of various mythical creatures were found, but these coins did not have much value and were rare.
The main reason for the appearance of coins on the territory of Lydia was that there was active trade between countries and various tribes. This is evidenced by the fact that staters are still found during research and excavations on the territory of Celtic settlements. Initially, ordinary pieces of gold or silver were used as coins. However, the pieces had different weights and, accordingly, prices. Therefore, there was a need to standardize money.
Long-lived coin
Also, it is worth noting that the stater was quite popular. This is confirmed by the written mention that can be found in the Gospel of Matthew (17: 24-27). There we are talking about the miracle of Jesus associated with the stater. This mention makes it possible to verify the age of the stater. Another confirmation is that the stater was in circulation for about 8 centuries!
However, not everyone recognizes the stater as the very first coin. Some claim that the very first coin was minted in China (12th century BC). Unlike the stater, these coins were in circulation only in China and had a special royal seal, which testified to their authenticity. The seal had a design of a bull or lion's head.
Others claim that the oldest coin belongs to the territory North America and its age is 50 thousand years. However, none of these coins have ever been found. Therefore, these are just assumptions.
Coin making is one of the most ancient arts. And like any type of art, it developed along with man. Over the years, views on beauty have changed, technology has improved, and the situation in the world has changed. All this was reflected in the history of coinage.
Nowadays, coin production is an almost completely automated process. But how did man come to this, and what stages did this ancient art go through? In this article we"let's take a walk" on the history of coinage. We'll tell you where the first coins appeared, what the old medal makers became famous for, and how coins are made today.
Ancient world
Before coins were created, people in different countries they used what was of great value. In some places the medium of exchange was cattle, in others weapons, and in some countries they even used sugar and ivory. To streamline trade and exchange, a state means of payment was needed. That's what coins became.
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 minting an alloy of gold and silver and were even stamped.
Medal art began to develop rapidly in Greece. Many works of that time have reached us, but few names have survived. We only know those that were indicated on the coins. These are such masters as Kimon and Evainet, who worked under Dionysius.
The profession of a medalist has become respected. In Rome, medalists were at each mint, they had their own corporation and leader. In Greece, engravers were engaged in creating designs for coins. They engraved the image directly onto the precious stones.
Ancient coins, compared to modern ones, were distinguished by high high relief and irregular shape of the 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, 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 flourished during the time of Frederick I Barbarossa.
Stamps for coins were then made by professional engravers. The coins even reflected the style of that era - they can be attributed to late Romanesque art. The coins depicted figures of rulers and saints in a symmetrical frame of architectural elements. Although the figures were stylized, the small details on them were carefully worked out - armor, clothing, attributes of power.
Kievan Rus
In Kievan Rus, 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 Rus'.
There were several reasons for this: Rus' broke up into separate principalities, and there was no need for a single state coin. And later, during the yoke, the country experienced economic and political decline. 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. What is known is that under Ivan III, Aristotle Fioravanti was discharged from Italy. In addition to creating architecture, the master also engraved coins.
Renaissance
During the Renaissance, the art of coinage in Europe was revived. Venetian medals and the name of the painter Antonio Pisano, who during this period cast medals for the Byzantine emperor, have reached 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 ancient examples.
In Germany at that time, the first religious scenes appeared on coins, thanks to Albrecht Dürer, Heinrich Reitz, Friedrich Hagenazer and other great masters.
Russia
As for Russian coins, there were no elegantly engraved coins in Russia until Peter I. Only under him did they begin to send medalists to Russia and order the production of coins. It was by order of Peter I that the first series of commemorative medals dedicated to the Great Northern War was created.
And during the time of Catherine II, attention was first paid to the artistry of coin making. 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 became Timofey Ivanov. He made many medals and memorial 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 events Patriotic War 1812.
About coin minting technology
The making of a coin always began with the creation of a sketch. Then, based on the sketch, a molded model was created from sculptural plasticine. This model was sculpted on a board using 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.
A plaster cast was then cast from the model. And from the plaster cast they made a new casting from hard cast iron using the galvanoplasty method. Next, a steel punch was made from the 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 graver. After all, only by using manual labor can a product be given life. Then the punch was hardened and used to extrude a matrix or stamp, with which coins or medals were minted.
This technology for creating coins came to us from past centuries. Some mints still use it, while others are fully automating production. But there are many other processes in coinage that directly affect the appearance of the coin and its quality.
The quality of coinage - what is the difference?
The division of coins according to the quality of mintage came to us from England. This classification divides coins into two main types: those made in normal quality and those in improved quality. Let's figure out what this difference is.
In the classification, coins of ordinary quality are calleduncirculated. This is the quality used to make the coins that we use in monetary circulation, as well as some investment coins.
They are made in automated production in large quantities and little manual labor is used. Therefore, the requirements for appearance and the design of the coins is uncirculated and small. They should be the same weight, thickness and diameter, with a simple pattern. In general, something that is just suitable for large print runs at low costs.
As a rule, coins of uncirculated quality have a metallic sheen over the entire surface. They do not have mirror surfaces, the relief does not stand out, and there are no small details in the drawings. According to the classification, small bevels on the edges, small scratches or stains are allowed on such coins. These damages occur due to minting in large quantities.
The improved type of uncirculated coins is calleddiamond-uncirculated. They have a smooth and shiny surface, the designs are more detailed and elaborate. These coins are no longer susceptible to chips or scratches.
The next type of coin quality is the highest, orproof.Coins of this quality are produced in small editions and with a high proportion of manual labor. The master carefully studies each stamp to obtain a smooth mirror surface and a contrasting matte pattern on it.
The peculiarity of the proof quality lies in the minting process itself - in order for the design to be perfect, the stamp must hit the workpiece twice. As a result, we get a product that has no scratches or irregularities. Proof coins are the most valuable: both for the artistry of their execution and for the quality itself.
Another type of coin quality isproof-like, or similar proof. These coins are similar in appearance to proof coins, but their minting technology may differ. For example, the workpiece could be struck once. Proof coins are also valuable and are in demand among collectors and numismatists.
Old masters and new school
Fyodor Tolstoy believed that true mastery in coin making is impossible without fluency in graphics.
Only after creating the drawing, in Tolstoy’s opinion, was it 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 basics 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 steel engraving, as well as heat treatment stamps.
Among the outstanding medalists who mastered the technology 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 limit themselves to making only sketch drawings. Engravers were already busy making stamps. Thus, the medals lost their individuality, and the artist’s handwriting was lost.
Progress does not stand still, and now in almost any coin production the process is automated. All engraving work is done with special engraving machines, and the creation of a 3D model is transferred to designers. But unfortunately, not all of them have the experience and education of an engraver. After all, even with the most modern equipment, after creating a high-quality 3D model, it is necessary for the stamp to be touched by a master’s hand. This is the only way to create a product that will have artistic value.
Engraving work requires a very large amount of knowledge and skills, a lot of experience, meticulousness, and hard work. Art education is a must to created by hand The master's plots had artistic value, the products were alive. So that the portraits and figures of people depicted by the engraver are 100% similar to the original.
Modern technologies of medal art dictate strict requirements for the relief of a 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 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. A NATO delegation came to Russia on a visit and presented gifts to the Russian General Staff. The Russian government decided to respond with worthy memorable gifts.
Employees of the General Staff turned to the best coin factories in the country to produce commemorative medals based on their own designs. But they were refused because they could not fulfill the order. The difficulty of the work lay precisely in the relief. Its height was 1.5 mm per side (usually an average of 0.6-0.8), and its diameter was 90 mm.
As a result, they turned to our jewelry house. Its founder, Sergei Ivanovich Kvashnin, agreed and within a month completed the entire scope of work. Moreover, the stamp was made by hand. And so it turned out that Vyatka is the center of medal art in Russia. The General Staff presented the medals made by Sergei Ivanovich to strategic partners and delegations of other countries.
At all times, jewelers involved in jewelry production were considered special people. After all, engraving work is the highest skill of jewelry art. An engraver knows all the jewelry tricks and techniques, but a jeweler who does not know engraving will not be able to create a product of the same level as an engraver.
In any art, it is important to preserve traditions and know history. You can ensure the continuity of quality by visiting our And also do not forget to update our blog so as not to miss new interesting articles.