Numismatics is the study or collection of currency, including coins, tokens, paper money, medals and related objects.
Specialists, known as numismatists, are often characterized as students or collectors of coins, but the discipline also includes the broader study of money and other means of payment used to resolve debts and exchange goods.
The earliest forms of money used by people are categorised by collectors as "odd and curious", but the use of other goods in barter exchange is excluded, even where used as a circulating currency (e.g., cigarettes or instant noodles in prison). As an example, the Kyrgyz people used horses as the principal currency unit, and gave small change in lambskins; the lambskins may be suitable for numismatic study, but the horses are not.[ dubious ] Many objects have been used for centuries, such as cowry shells, precious metals, cocoa beans, large stones, and gems. ( Full article...)
A bullion coin (also known as a specie) is a coin struck from highly refined precious metal ( bullion) and kept as a store of value or an investment rather than used in day-to-day commerce. A bullion coin is distinguished by its weight (or mass) and fineness on the coin. Unlike rounds, bullion coins are minted by government mints and have a legal tender face value. Bullion coins can have fineness ranging from 91.9% (22 karat) to 99.99% purity (24 karat).
For the VAT exemption purposes the United Kingdom defines investment coins more specifically as coins that have been minted after 1800, have a purity of not less than 900 thousandths and are, or have been, legal tender in their country of origin. Under United States law, "coins" that fail the last of these requirements are not coins at all, and must be advertised as "rounds" instead. ( Full article...)The British decimal two pence coin (often shortened to 2p in writing and speech) is a denomination of sterling coinage equalling 2⁄100 of a pound. Since the coin's introduction on 15 February 1971, the year British currency was decimalised, its obverse has featured four profiles of Queen Elizabeth II. In 2008 the design on its reverse changed from the original depiction of a plume of ostrich feathers with a coronet to a segment of the Royal Shield.
The two pence coin was originally minted from bronze, but changed in 1992 to copper-plated steel. ( Full article...)Money - Coins - Banknotes - Electronic money - Exchange rate - Legal tender - Clubs - Terminology
Ancient currency: Asia - Byzantium - Greece - Primitive Money - Roman - Indian coinage
Modern currency: Africa - The Americas - Asia and the Pacific - Europe - Bullion coins - Challenge coin - Commemorative coins - Token coins
Economics: Banking - Bonds - Cheques - Credit Cards - Fiat currency - Gold standard - Mints - Monetary union - Reserve currency - Stocks
Production: Coining (machining) - Designers - Die making - Mint (coin) • Coinage Metals: Aluminum - Bronze - Copper - Gold - Platinum - Silver - Tin
Rank | Currency |
ISO 4217 code |
Symbol or abbreviation |
Proportion of daily volume | Growth rate (2019–2022) | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
April 2019 | April 2022 | |||||
1 | U.S. dollar | USD | US$ | 88.3% | 88.5% | 0.2% |
2 | Euro | EUR | € | 32.3% | 30.5% | 5.5% |
3 | Japanese yen | JPY | ¥ / 円 | 16.8% | 16.7% | 0.6% |
4 | Sterling | GBP | £ | 12.8% | 12.9% | 0.7% |
5 | Renminbi | CNY | ¥ / 元 | 4.3% | 7.0% | 62.7% |
6 | Australian dollar | AUD | A$ | 6.8% | 6.4% | 5.8% |
7 | Canadian dollar | CAD | C$ | 5.0% | 6.2% | 24% |
8 | Swiss franc | CHF | CHF | 4.9% | 5.2% | 6.1% |
9 | Hong Kong dollar | HKD | HK$ | 3.5% | 2.6% | 25.7% |
10 | Singapore dollar | SGD | S$ | 1.8% | 2.4% | 33.3% |
11 | Swedish krona | SEK | kr | 2.0% | 2.2% | 10% |
12 | South Korean won | KRW | ₩ / 원 | 2.0% | 1.9% | 5% |
13 | Norwegian krone | NOK | kr | 1.8% | 1.7% | 5.5% |
14 | New Zealand dollar | NZD | NZ$ | 2.1% | 1.7% | 19% |
15 | Indian rupee | INR | ₹ | 1.7% | 1.6% | 5.8% |
16 | Mexican peso | MXN | MX$ | 1.7% | 1.5% | 11.7% |
17 | New Taiwan dollar | TWD | NT$ | 0.9% | 1.1% | 22.2% |
18 | South African rand | ZAR | R | 1.1% | 1.0% | 9% |
19 | Brazilian real | BRL | R$ | 1.1% | 0.9% | 18.1% |
20 | Danish krone | DKK | kr | 0.6% | 0.7% | 16.6% |
21 | Polish złoty | PLN | zł | 0.6% | 0.7% | 16.6% |
22 | Thai baht | THB | ฿ | 0.5% | 0.4% | 20% |
23 | Israeli new shekel | ILS | ₪ | 0.3% | 0.4% | 33.3% |
24 | Indonesian rupiah | IDR | Rp | 0.4% | 0.4% | 0% |
25 | Czech koruna | CZK | Kč | 0.4% | 0.4% | 0% |
26 | UAE dirham | AED | د.إ | 0.2% | 0.4% | 100% |
27 | Turkish lira | TRY | ₺ | 1.1% | 0.4% | 63.6% |
28 | Hungarian forint | HUF | Ft | 0.4% | 0.3% | 25% |
29 | Chilean peso | CLP | CLP$ | 0.3% | 0.3% | 0% |
30 | Saudi riyal | SAR | ﷼ | 0.2% | 0.2% | 0% |
31 | Philippine peso | PHP | ₱ | 0.3% | 0.2% | 33.3% |
32 | Malaysian ringgit | MYR | RM | 0.2% | 0.2% | 0% |
33 | Colombian peso | COP | COL$ | 0.2% | 0.2% | 0% |
34 | Russian ruble | RUB | ₽ | 1.1% | 0.2% | 81.8% |
35 | Romanian leu | RON | L | 0.1% | 0.1% | 0% |
36 | Peruvian sol | PEN | S/ | 0.1% | 0.1% | 0% |
37 | Bahraini dinar | BHD | .د.ب | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0% |
38 | Bulgarian lev | BGN | BGN | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0% |
39 | Argentine peso | ARS | ARG$ | 0.1% | 0.0% | 100% |
… | Other | 1.8% | 2.3% | 27.7% | ||
Total [a] | 200.0% | 200.0% |
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Numismatics is the study or collection of currency, including coins, tokens, paper money, medals and related objects.
Specialists, known as numismatists, are often characterized as students or collectors of coins, but the discipline also includes the broader study of money and other means of payment used to resolve debts and exchange goods.
The earliest forms of money used by people are categorised by collectors as "odd and curious", but the use of other goods in barter exchange is excluded, even where used as a circulating currency (e.g., cigarettes or instant noodles in prison). As an example, the Kyrgyz people used horses as the principal currency unit, and gave small change in lambskins; the lambskins may be suitable for numismatic study, but the horses are not.[ dubious ] Many objects have been used for centuries, such as cowry shells, precious metals, cocoa beans, large stones, and gems. ( Full article...)
A bullion coin (also known as a specie) is a coin struck from highly refined precious metal ( bullion) and kept as a store of value or an investment rather than used in day-to-day commerce. A bullion coin is distinguished by its weight (or mass) and fineness on the coin. Unlike rounds, bullion coins are minted by government mints and have a legal tender face value. Bullion coins can have fineness ranging from 91.9% (22 karat) to 99.99% purity (24 karat).
For the VAT exemption purposes the United Kingdom defines investment coins more specifically as coins that have been minted after 1800, have a purity of not less than 900 thousandths and are, or have been, legal tender in their country of origin. Under United States law, "coins" that fail the last of these requirements are not coins at all, and must be advertised as "rounds" instead. ( Full article...)The British decimal two pence coin (often shortened to 2p in writing and speech) is a denomination of sterling coinage equalling 2⁄100 of a pound. Since the coin's introduction on 15 February 1971, the year British currency was decimalised, its obverse has featured four profiles of Queen Elizabeth II. In 2008 the design on its reverse changed from the original depiction of a plume of ostrich feathers with a coronet to a segment of the Royal Shield.
The two pence coin was originally minted from bronze, but changed in 1992 to copper-plated steel. ( Full article...)Money - Coins - Banknotes - Electronic money - Exchange rate - Legal tender - Clubs - Terminology
Ancient currency: Asia - Byzantium - Greece - Primitive Money - Roman - Indian coinage
Modern currency: Africa - The Americas - Asia and the Pacific - Europe - Bullion coins - Challenge coin - Commemorative coins - Token coins
Economics: Banking - Bonds - Cheques - Credit Cards - Fiat currency - Gold standard - Mints - Monetary union - Reserve currency - Stocks
Production: Coining (machining) - Designers - Die making - Mint (coin) • Coinage Metals: Aluminum - Bronze - Copper - Gold - Platinum - Silver - Tin
Rank | Currency |
ISO 4217 code |
Symbol or abbreviation |
Proportion of daily volume | Growth rate (2019–2022) | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
April 2019 | April 2022 | |||||
1 | U.S. dollar | USD | US$ | 88.3% | 88.5% | 0.2% |
2 | Euro | EUR | € | 32.3% | 30.5% | 5.5% |
3 | Japanese yen | JPY | ¥ / 円 | 16.8% | 16.7% | 0.6% |
4 | Sterling | GBP | £ | 12.8% | 12.9% | 0.7% |
5 | Renminbi | CNY | ¥ / 元 | 4.3% | 7.0% | 62.7% |
6 | Australian dollar | AUD | A$ | 6.8% | 6.4% | 5.8% |
7 | Canadian dollar | CAD | C$ | 5.0% | 6.2% | 24% |
8 | Swiss franc | CHF | CHF | 4.9% | 5.2% | 6.1% |
9 | Hong Kong dollar | HKD | HK$ | 3.5% | 2.6% | 25.7% |
10 | Singapore dollar | SGD | S$ | 1.8% | 2.4% | 33.3% |
11 | Swedish krona | SEK | kr | 2.0% | 2.2% | 10% |
12 | South Korean won | KRW | ₩ / 원 | 2.0% | 1.9% | 5% |
13 | Norwegian krone | NOK | kr | 1.8% | 1.7% | 5.5% |
14 | New Zealand dollar | NZD | NZ$ | 2.1% | 1.7% | 19% |
15 | Indian rupee | INR | ₹ | 1.7% | 1.6% | 5.8% |
16 | Mexican peso | MXN | MX$ | 1.7% | 1.5% | 11.7% |
17 | New Taiwan dollar | TWD | NT$ | 0.9% | 1.1% | 22.2% |
18 | South African rand | ZAR | R | 1.1% | 1.0% | 9% |
19 | Brazilian real | BRL | R$ | 1.1% | 0.9% | 18.1% |
20 | Danish krone | DKK | kr | 0.6% | 0.7% | 16.6% |
21 | Polish złoty | PLN | zł | 0.6% | 0.7% | 16.6% |
22 | Thai baht | THB | ฿ | 0.5% | 0.4% | 20% |
23 | Israeli new shekel | ILS | ₪ | 0.3% | 0.4% | 33.3% |
24 | Indonesian rupiah | IDR | Rp | 0.4% | 0.4% | 0% |
25 | Czech koruna | CZK | Kč | 0.4% | 0.4% | 0% |
26 | UAE dirham | AED | د.إ | 0.2% | 0.4% | 100% |
27 | Turkish lira | TRY | ₺ | 1.1% | 0.4% | 63.6% |
28 | Hungarian forint | HUF | Ft | 0.4% | 0.3% | 25% |
29 | Chilean peso | CLP | CLP$ | 0.3% | 0.3% | 0% |
30 | Saudi riyal | SAR | ﷼ | 0.2% | 0.2% | 0% |
31 | Philippine peso | PHP | ₱ | 0.3% | 0.2% | 33.3% |
32 | Malaysian ringgit | MYR | RM | 0.2% | 0.2% | 0% |
33 | Colombian peso | COP | COL$ | 0.2% | 0.2% | 0% |
34 | Russian ruble | RUB | ₽ | 1.1% | 0.2% | 81.8% |
35 | Romanian leu | RON | L | 0.1% | 0.1% | 0% |
36 | Peruvian sol | PEN | S/ | 0.1% | 0.1% | 0% |
37 | Bahraini dinar | BHD | .د.ب | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0% |
38 | Bulgarian lev | BGN | BGN | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0% |
39 | Argentine peso | ARS | ARG$ | 0.1% | 0.0% | 100% |
… | Other | 1.8% | 2.3% | 27.7% | ||
Total [a] | 200.0% | 200.0% |
|
|
Here are some tasks awaiting attention:
|
The following Wikimedia Foundation sister projects provide more on this subject: