Where for the first time began to make coins. When did the coins appear? Copper riot or attempt to escape from commodity money

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Today, in our use of a coin - this is just a monetary unit of predominantly small dignity made of metal and having a round shape. Initially, it was believed that the word coin of divine origin, and the heroes of myths were attributed to the appearance of coins.

The word "coin" itself occurred on behalf of the Roman goddess Juno Moneta, the spouses of God Jupiter, and in Latin means "warning". The ancient Romans believed that Juno warned them about the attack of enemies and natural disasters. Juno was considered the goddess exchange, which is why metallic coins near the Temple, built in her honor, began in ancient Rome. Then the term coin became nominated and spread among other peoples, denoting the payment agents in the form of round metal ingots.

The first coins began to cast back in the VII century BC. In the state of Malaya Asia called Lydia (on the territory of the current Turkey). Then the coins began to produce in ancient Greece, ancient Rome, Iran. Regardless of other countries, coins were invented in India and China. Although the invention of coins in China occurred almost five centuries earlier than in other countries, Chinese coins had only local importance.

The universal payment facility or, as it is taken to be expressed, the "universal equivalent", the coins became then when the weight and quality of the metal in them began to certify the state. The first to put the royal gerbal seal on the coin began the Lidi king Krez in the VI century BC. His seal was a lion's head and bull and meant that the coin contains 98% of gold and silver a certain sample.

Almost all coins had a circle form, although there were square and polygonal coins in history, as well as the coins of the wrong shape (for example, Chinese coins in the shape of a shovel or knife). Almost all coins, with the exception of rather rare one-sided, had the front side (AVERS) and the reverse side (reverse).

If the obverse and reverse looked in such a way as to designate the state affiliation of the coin and its denomination, the side of the coin (GURT) in pure applied purposes was made to prevent the circumcision by fraudsters of the valuable metal from the edges of the coins that had new coins from these cropping. By the way, to make notches on Gurth, the coins suggested Isaac Newton.

Coins quickly spread throughout the world due to the convenience of using them during the exchange process during international trade. In contrast to the so-called commodity money, whose role among different nations was performed by various goods (fur and animal skins, linen, livestock and fish, tea, salt and tobacco, shells and pearls, etc.), coins did not spoil over time They were comfortable to store and transport them - after all, at relatively high cost, the metal coin had a small size and weight. In modern language, coins have a high liquidity indicator: they are easily and quickly exchanged for any product, overcoming spatial and time limitations.

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Assistant Jupiter

Surely, in a wallet, each person can be found a couple of coins. They are convenient to pay in transport or buy coffee in the machine. And not many were thinking about where and how the very first coin was made.

The word "coin" itself came to us from Latin and translated as the "adviser". This title had Junon, the spouse of Jupiter. It was believed that Juno predicted the attacks of enemies or natural cataclysms to Romans. Near the temple of Juno (was near Rome) were located workshops where metal coins were minted. However, these are not the very first coins.

Ancient Nakhodka

As a result of multiple excavations, it was found that the first coin is Stater. This coin was discovered on the territory of Ancient Lydia. Now this territory belongs to Palestine and Turkey. Archaeologists have established that the age of this coin is at least 3200 years. Research has led archaeologists to the fact that the creator of the coin was the fi don (VII century BC). Fi Don was the ruler of the island of the island. It was on this island that one of the most ancient mint yards was located. Also, there is an opinion that the first coin appeared in Carn Ardis (685 BC).

Stater was made of silver alloy and gold. Such a alloy is customary to call the electro. On one of the sides of the coin was depicted lion, and the other side was empty. From other sources, you can find out that there was a stamp on the reverse side, which spoke of the value of the coin. The form of Statter was oval, and not round, as now. Initially, Stater was made of gold or silver. One golden stater was equal to a cost of 20 to 28 drachms. Also, one golden stater could be exchanged for 2 silver stats. At about the same period (V c. BC. E) began to appear Dariki - coins made of high-graded gold. There is an opinion that Dariq is the most first copper coin. Based on this opinion, the first coin of pure gold appeared in the Lidius Tsar Krez.

Lev is more precious to the turtle

In the future, it was found that there were coins with the image of the sea turtle. These coins had less cost than those depicted by a growing lion (Stater). Also, coins were found with the image of various mythical creatures, but these coins did not have great value and were rare.

The main reason for the emergence of coins in Lydia was that there was active trade between countries and various tribes. This is evidenced by the fact that standards are still found in research and excavations in the territory of Celtic settlements. Initially, as coins, ordinary pieces of gold or silver were used. However, the pieces had different weight and, accordingly, the cost. Therefore, there was a need to standardize money.

Coin-long-lived

Also, it is worth noting that Stater was quite popular. This confirms the written mention that can be found in the Gospel of Matthew (17: 24-27). There it is about the miracle of Jesus, associated with Stater. This mention allows you to make sure of the age of the age. Another confirmation is that Stater was in the turn of about 8 centuries!

However, not everyone recognizes Stater the very first coin. Some declare that the very first coin was minted in China (XII century BC. E). Unlike Statter, these coins were in circulation only in China and possessed a special royal stamp, which testified to its authenticity. The seal had a drawing of a bull head or lion.

Others argue that the most ancient coin belongs to the territory of North America and its age is 50 thousand years. However, none of these coins has been found. And therefore it is only assumptions.

Before the first coins appeared, their function was performed by other various items: shells, grain, cattle, etc. As trading developed, the role of money has moved to metal products: they are highly appreciated, because they were made of precious rocks and had a variety of shape and weight.

The ancient Greeks believed that for the first time coins invented their mythical heroes. The Romans also believed that the authorship of the creation of the first monetary signs belongs to their gods. According to their ideas, the very first coins were made by God: he was on them the ship's nose in honor of Saturn, God of time.

The Latin word "coin" can be translated as "warning". By this epithet, the Romans accompanied the name of Juno - the goddess of marriage and birth, Jupiter's wife. She has repeatedly warned by the residents of Rome on impending catastrophes or enemies. By the proximity of her temple, masters for the manufacture of metal money were worked, it was from here that the name of coins occurred. The word "mantle" has the same root. It symbolizes the predetermination by the judicial solutions of human destiny.

Herodota version

Herodotus was an ancient Greek scientist who was engaged in history and lived in the 5th century to our era. In his works, he stated that the first coins appeared in Lydia. This country was located in Malaya Asia.
Contemporary scientists unambiguously established the fact that coins are really for the first time were made here at about 685. BC. It had to for the period of the reign of Ardis; The state was engaged in independent manufacture of coins. Materials for their production served gold and silver alloys. From the front side of the coin, a test was knocked out, with the opposite - Assyrian lion, or rather his head.

Monetary History

After a few decades, the coins began to produce in Greek aegin. It is believed that in this city, the monetary signs appeared later than in Lydia, but independently and independently of the Malaysian country. The egin coins were silver and had a form different from the coin.

Coins soon appeared on the whole of 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, whom the name of the crown was adopted by the standard - 98 percent of precious metals. The royal seal with the coat of arms on the obverse was also installed. These were the heads of the bull and lion.

Coins have become a convenient subject of exchange, so they got great popularity

Their form was the most different: round, four- or polygonal, etc. In addition, they were easy to store, they had quite low weight and sizes, and the conditional value remained the same high.

Currently, no one person can imagine life without money. But it was not always so. When did they enter the life of people? It is just known that the first money was in the form of coins.

Scientists and archaeologists still argue about the true age of the first coin on Earth. Connoisseurs in this area were held a lot of research to determine the exact date of its appearance. They studied old sources and tried to understand the purpose of such an invention. It is surprising to represent how hundreds of years ago before primitive civilization, people have found a payment option for their needs.

What does the story indicate?

She proves with indisputable accuracy that the oldest coins in the world appeared in Asia Minor (approximately the territory of modern Turkey). Who was the first to create a coin? What are the legends about its creation? You will learn answers to these questions by reading the entire article.

Find the first coin itself in the world

"The leaders were the first of the people who have learned to be minted and using silver and gold coins ..." - Hello. What does this mean and who are these leaders? Let's figure it out in these issues. The thing is that the first coins in the world, the year of the chasing of which is definitely not known, are coins from the city of Lydia (Small Asia).

Star or Stater is the first coin known to people. She was popular in ancient Greece in the period from the V century BC. e. by the first century e. At the moment, it is established that coins were manufactured at the Lidius Tsar Ardis, in 685 BC. e.

On the territory of his city, residents of Lydia discovered the richest deposit of the natural alloy of gold and silver. This alloy is called electrical, just from it and began to produce golden stats.

One of the oldest coins in the world was sold at auction in 2012 in New York for 650 thousand dollars. Lydia was near Greece, and, thanks to such a geographical location, some cultural resemblance appeared. Because of this, the stir and entered into circulation in ancient Greece and nearby states. Some sources argue that the oldest coins in the world were in circulation still in the ancient Celts.

The earliest stars that have survived until this time have a very primitive look. One side of the coin is empty, and on the second depicted the head of the lever lion. The first stir was found in Palestine, his age is approximately 2700-3000 years. Below is a photo of the oldest coin in the world.

First silver coin

Lidia masters began to minted gold and silver coins and use them as a means of means. This became possible, thanks to new methods for cleaning valuable metals. The oldest coin in the world made of pure silver was opened in Greece and minted in aege. These coins were also called Eginque drachmas. On one of the sides of Srebrenika, the turtle was depicted - the symbol of the city of the city.

The minted aegin coins quickly spread to Greece, and then they even penetrated Iran. A little later, they began to enjoy popular in many barbaric tribes. Looking at the drawing or photo of the first coin in the world, it can be understood that it was a small size and had a kind of silver plate.

The then Srebreniki was very different from modern coins. They were very cumbersome and unwarters, some of them weighed about 6 grams, and on the front side was only a sign of the city. On the reverse side of the coin you can see traces from spikes, with the help of which the mint plate was kept during the chasing.

Illinois coin

Some archaeologists argue that the legend of the Lidius coin (Star) is incorrect. In world archeology, a strange story is known about how an old metal plate was discovered in the United States, similar to the coin, whose age consisted of only a few decades.

The story reads: In Illinois in 1870, on the lawn of the ridge during the drilling of the artesian well, one of the workers - Jacob Moffit - stumbled upon a rounded plate of copper alloy. The thickness and size of the plate resembled a US coin of that time equal to 25 cents.

Coins from Illinois

This coin could not be called primitive, as she looked pretty interesting. On one of her sides, two human figures were depicted: one big and in the headdress, and the other is small. On the back of the plate there was an image of a strange animal, which rolled out by the village. He had huge eyes and mouth, elongated sharp ears, long tail and clawed paws.

Historians call this find a medallion or coin. By the way, on the edges of the plate there were inscriptions, similar to the hieroglyphs that could not decipher until now.

The first mention of the coin from Illinois

The earliest mention of this coin left a geologist from Michigan Alexander Winchell in his book "Sparks from a geology hammer." He used in it the information received from the notes made by an eyewitness of the find William Wilmot in 1871.

In 1876, Professor Winchell presented to the Plate of the world, this happened at the meeting of the American Association. Many geologists considered the act of the draw and thought that this coin was nothing more than fake.

Now, unfortunately, it is impossible to confirm or disprove the authenticity of this find, as it has not been preserved to the present day. Everything that remains from her is a description and sketch.

The strangeness of this story is that some facts contradict themselves. Imagine that the coin really existed, but then many questions arise. The depth on which we found the oldest in the world of the coin is 35 meters, and these are places with age 200 thousand years. It turns out that in America then there was civilization? Even if so, it is unlikely that the Indians who lived in Decolumbov's Epoch, knew how to get a copper alloy.

First Russian Gold Coin

The first coin made of gold in ancient Russia got the name of a galant or a spool. It was launched in Kiev in the X-XI centuries. After the baptism of Rus Prince Vladimir. There are no accurate information about the true name of the first Russian coins. Traditionally, the term "Zlatnot", which is known, thanks to the text of the Byzantine-Russian treaty dated 912, is used. The oldest coins in the world remained only 11 pieces.

The first spool acquired the city of Bunge in Kiev in 1796 by a soldier who received a coin from the mother. In 1815, the spool was bought and lost to Mogilyansky. Initially, Zlatniki was considered analogues of Bulgarian or Serbian chasing. However, later it was possible to determine the true - ancient Russian - the origin of these coins. This was achieved, thanks to the found treasures with coins, their research and decipher the inscriptions on them.

Famous finds of Srebrenikov and Zlatnikov

The news that Zlatniki and Srebreniki were still ancient Russian origin, questioned the entire collection of Byzantine coins in the Hermitage. Under Pinsky found four Zlatnik. Every year the number of Srebrennikov found found, and this served as a bright evidence of the existence of a coin system in ancient Russia.

The final argument was the treasure found in Nezhin in 1852, in which there were about two hundred Srebreniki among other valuables. Every year the number of silver coins found and, thanks to this, more and more private collections appeared.

Exterior of Zlatnika

On the front side of the coin was depicted portrait of Prince Vladimir in a headdress with a cross in his right hand and left lying on his chest. From above, a trident was depicted - a characteristic sign of Rurikov's genus. In the circle there was a Cyrillic inscription, which was reading: Vladimir on the throne.

On the turn of the coin, the figure of Christ was depicted, in the left hand of which the gospel, and the right was in a blessing position. In a circle, as well as on the front side, there was also an inscription: Jesus Christ.

Physical characteristics of golden

The diameter of the spool was 19-24 mm, and the weight of about 4-4.5 g. All now, famous marshs were minted with interconnected stamps. The size of the ottis for the front side of the coin matched the stamp for the back side.

At the moment, 6 pairs of stamps are known. The inscriptions and images on them are very carefully completed, and in a single style. However, each stamp is different from each other. According to the descriptions, it is known that three pairs of stamps are made, apparently, the same person, since it is done very carefully.

The next pair is pretty rude, and in the inscription on the front side the letter is missing. The remaining two pairs of stamps, in all likelihood, copied with the previous ones. The master, most likely, was a little serious, since only the general view of the coin retained, and such a detail as the position of the hands of Christ was changed. Letters of the inscriptions are also not quite true, not as in previous versions of spools.

  1. The mint plates were cast using folding forms for the chasing, which is applied from the appearance of spools.
  2. The average mass of the spool is 4.2 g, in the future this value was taken as the basis of the weight unit in ancient Russia.
  3. The emergence of Russian coins contributed to the revival of cultural and trade relations with Byzantium.
  4. The Model for Vladimir's spools served by the Byzantine solids made under the emperors Konstantine VIII and Vasyli II. Zlatniki were similar to the Byzantine solids in their weight and arrangement of the pattern on the coin plate.
  5. In 1988, the 1000th anniversary of the ancient Russian chasing was celebrated, in honor of this event, the Golden coin was released with the image of Prince Vladimir.
  6. The chasing of gold coins lasted only a few years during the life of Prince Vladimir, and after his death never resumed.

The use of ancient Russian coins has an exclusively commercial meaning, because the object of ritual, a gift or awards, the scenario has never been used.

Creating coins is one of the most ancient arts. And as any kind of art, it developed with a person. During the long year, the views on the beautiful, the technologies were improved, and the situation and in the world changed. All this was reflected on the history of coin chasing.

Now the manufacture of coins is a practically fully automated process. But as a person came to this, and what stages were this ancient art? In this article we"Walk" on the history of coin chasing. We will tell you where the first coins appeared than the old masters-medalkers became famous, and how they make coins today.

Ancient world

Before creating coins, people in different countries enjoyed what he had greater value. Somewhere the means of exchange was cattle, somewhere weapons, and in some countries even used sugar and elephant bone. To streamline trade and exchange, there was a state payment facility. They became coins.

Medallery art originated at the end of the VIII - began the VII century to our era. For the first time, coins appeared in Lydia and ancient Greece. They were made by chasing from gold alloy with silver and even put a sample.

Freshly developing medal art has become in Greece. Many works of that time reached us, but few names are preserved. We only know those of them that were indicated on the coins. These are the masters as kimon and the emergency worked with Dionisias.

The profession of the medaler has become respected. In Rome, medalkers were with every mint, had their own corporation and leader. In Greece, the creation of drawings for coins was engaged in engravers. They engraved the image right on the precious stones.

Ancient coins, compared with modern, differed in high burners and an irregular shape of the mug. At the same time, Roman coins were seriously inferior to Greek from the point of view of artistic beauty, but were closer to modern due to rounded and bas-relief.

Middle Ages

In the Middle Ages and to the era of the Renaissance, the medal art art of Europe was undeveloped: the coins had a flat relief, the coin itself was thin and similar to a metal blossom. True, in this rule there is an exception.

In the German states of the XII century, coins were still distinguished by high artistic quality. And the Barbarossa I received your flourishing of such a broctate at the time of Friedrich.

Stamps for coins then made professional engravers. The coins even transferred the style of that era - they can be attributed to late Romanesque art. The coins depicted the figures of rulers and saints in a symmetrical frame of architectural elements. Although the figures were stylized, small details on them were carefully worked out - armor, clothes, attributes of power.

Kievan Rus

In the Kiev Rus, the coin of Prince Vladimir, Prince Svyatopolka and Yaroslav wise engraved the Byzantine masters. But at the beginning of the IX century, coins in Russia stopped.

There were several reasons for it: Russia broke off into individual principalities, and there was no need for a single state coin. And later, during the time of yoke, there was an economic and political decline in the country. As a result, medal art was forgotten for a while.

Where medallers were taken from the XIII-XV century coins, remains a mystery. It is known that when Ivan III III from Italy was discharged by Aristotle Phiorevanti. In addition to creating architecture, the master was engaged in engraving coins.

Revival

In the era of the Renaissance, the monetary art of Europe was revived. We have reached Venetian medals and the name of the painter Antonio Pisano, which during this period cast medals for the Byzantine emperor.

Then other great masters - Leone Leoni, Speradio Di Mantova, Mary, Mary, Jean Dane, Annibal Fontana ... They made coins from bronze and relied on the style of ancient samples.

In Germany, the first religious scenes appeared on the coins, thanks to Albrecht Dürer, Henry Race, Friedrich Gagenaceor and other great masters.

Russia

As for Russian coins, Russia did not have elegantly engraved coins to Peter I. Only with it, the medaler began to write out to Russia and order the manufacture of coins. It was by order of Peter I, the first series of memorable medals dedicated to the Great Northern War was created.

And at the time of Catherine II, first drew attention to the artistic of the manufacture of coins. Then the medal unit was founded in the Imperial Academy of Arts. He led the Frenchman Pierre Louis Belnier.

The leading medaller of Russia of the XVIII century was Timofey Ivanov. It made many medals and memorable signs dedicated to historical events under Peter I and Catherine II.

Under Alexandra I and Nicolas I celebrated the talent of the graph of the graph F. P. Tolstoy. He made medallions dedicated to the events of the Patriotic War of 1812.

About coin coin technology

The manufacture of the coin always began with the creation of a sketch pattern. The sketch was then created a stucco model from sculptural plasticine. This model was sculpting on a blackboard using special pointed sticks of different sizes. The flattened model has not yet completely matched the future product - it was 3-4 times more of the alleged coin.

Then cast a gypsum cast from the model. And already from the gypsum cast, a new casting from the rigid cast iron by galvanoplasty was done. Further, from a convex model with a pantograph - engraving machine made a punch of steel. Its format has already matched the projected medal or coin.

Then, if it was necessary, the master adjusted the image of the shyhel. After all, only using manual work, you can give an animal to the product. Then the Puinson booted and used to extrude the matrix or stamp, with the help of which coins or coins or medals were minted.

This technology for creating coins came to us from past centuries. Some mint yards use it now, others - fully automate production. But there are many other processes in the coinage coins that directly affect the type of coin and its quality.

The quality of coins chasing - what the difference

The separation of coins for the quality of the chasing came to us from England. This classification divides coins into two main types: performed in conventional quality and in improved. Let's deal with what this difference is.

Call coins in classification callazirkulyted. In such quality, coins we use in cash circulation, as well as some investment coins.

They are made on automated production by large circuses and manual labor is used in a small extent. Therefore, the requirements for appearance and design of coins Coin Circuit are small. They should be one weight, thickness and diameter, with a simple pattern. In general, the fact that it is just suitable for large circulation with lowest costs.

As a rule, the coins of the quality of the anchorculyate have a metal shine over the entire surface. They have no mirror surfaces, the relief does not stand out, there are no small parts in the drawings. By classification on such coins, small squeezes are allowed on the edges of Kant, minor scratches or stains. These damage appear due to the chasing of large circuses.

Improved view of the Coin Coin Coin is calledbrilliant Anchirculyted. They have a smooth and brilliant surface, drawings are more detailed and worked. At such coins no longer allow chips or scratches.

The following type of coin quality is the highest, orproof.Coins in this capacity are made in small circulations and with a high proportion of manual labor. Each stamp master carefully worries to get a smooth mirror surface and contrasting the matted pattern.

The quality feature of the proof is in the process of the chasing - so that the drawing is perfect, the stamp necessarily hits two times on the workpiece. As a result, we get a product on which there is neither scratches or irregularities. Coins as a proof are the most valuable: and for the artistic performance and for the quality itself.

Another type of quality coins -pruf-Like, or similar proof. These coins look like a proof, but the technology of their chasing may differ. For example, a billet should be produced once. Pruf-Like coins are also valuable, and are in demand from collectors and numismatics.

Old Masters and New School

Fyodor Tolstoy believed that true skill in the manufacture of coins is impossible without free ownership of graphics.

Only after creating a picture, in the opinion of the thick, it was worth starting to model model. This method of creating coins demanded from the master not only artistic knowledge, but technical, professional skill of a real engraver. It was with this method of work that the Wizard's individual handwriting could be saved.

These basics knew and transferred knowledge to the next generation. For example, in the medal class of the Imperial Academy of Arts, students studied not only the drawing and sculpture, but also engraving on steel, as well as thermal processing of stamps.

Among the outstanding medaler who owned the technologies of working with steel, were F.P. Tolstoy, I.A. Shilov, to A. Lebereht, A.P. Lyalin, P.S. Utkin, V.S. Baranov.

Already later, in the XIX century, some medallers began to be limited to the manufacture of only sketch patterns. The execution of stamps has already been engaged in engravers. Thus, the medals lost their individuality, the artist's handwriting was lost.

Progress does not stand still, and now almost any production coins are automated. All engraving work is made by special engraving machines, and the creation of a 3D model is transferred to designers. But unfortunately, not all of them have the experience and formation of engraver. After all, even after the most modern equipment, after creating a high-quality 3D model, it is necessary that the stamp touched the hand of the master. Only so you can create a product that will have artistic value.

Engraving work requires a very large number of knowledge and skills, greater experience, painstuff, hard work. Be sure to need artistic education so that the plots created by the hands of the master should have artistic value, the products were alive. To the portraits and figures of people depicted by engraver, had one hundred percent similarity with the original.

Modern technologies of medal art dictate strict requirements for the relief of the medal. He must be such that its highest details focused in the center of the composition, and then decreased. At the same time, the height of the relief should be small. Such a state of affairs limited the artistic plowing of sculptors and led to the loss of many technologies of sculpture of medals.

Visually reflects the state of affairs the situation that occurred in the 2000s. The NATO delegation came to Russia with a visit and presented the General Staff Gifts. The Russian government decided to answer worthy memorable gifts.

Employees of the General Staff appealed to the best monetary production of the country to make commemorative medals on their own sketch. But they were denied, as they could not fulfill the order. The complexity of the work was just in the relief. Its height accounted for 1.5 mm to the side (usually an average of 0.6-0.8), the diameter was 90 mm.

As a result, they turned to our jewelry house. His founder Sergei Ivanovich Kvashin agreed and in a month completed the entire volume of work. And the stamp did manually. It turned out that it was Vyatka - the center of medal art of Russia. Made by Sergey Ivanovich Med Sturdes presented with strategic partners, delegations of other countries.

At all times, jewelers engaged in jewelry proceedings were considered special people. After all, engraving work is the highest skill of jewelry art. Engraver knows all jewelry techniques and techniques, but a jeweler who does not know the engraving case will not be able to create a product of this level as engraver.

In any art it is important to maintain traditions and know the story. Make sure the continuity of quality you can by visiting our And also do not forget to update our blog so as not to miss new interesting articles.