How to independently determine the value of a coin. How to distinguish a rare coin from an ordinary one? How to find out what coin you found

Many beginners in numismatics are somewhat skeptical about mint definition who issued this coin. And let’s say this is wrong for the future collector of rare coins. After all, knowing the mint sometimes helps determine the market value of a rarity that has fallen into your hands. The same denomination, issued by different mints, can vary in price several times.

So how to determine the mint on Russian coins. First you need to know that in modern Russia there are two mints: Moscow and St. Petersburg. And on modern coins their names are minted in the form of monograms: MMD and SPMD. On penny coins, the symbol appears on the reverse in the form of the letters M and S-P. Sometimes some coins do not have the court designation. And as a result of such a marriage, the value of the coin increases significantly. Also, a novice collector should not be alarmed by the fact that the Moscow Mint stamp on the coins looks somewhat larger than the St. Petersburg mint stamp. It is so indeed.

To identify the mint, a numismatist may need a magnifying glass. But if circumstances permit, you can use a camera or scanner. But the last two methods are more suitable for old or worn coins. So a magnifying glass is the main tool of a numismatist.

But even with a magnifying glass it is not always easy to find mint emblems on a coin. Therefore, we immediately suggest that on 10 ruble coins mint mark can be found on the obverse of the coin under its denomination. This is clearly illustrated in the photo below.

And penny coins will delight the collector with the letters M or S-P under the front hooves of the horse.

On coins of the early nineties, mints are indicated on the obverse of the coin in the form of the letters M (Moscow) or L (Leningrad).

Also, the mint can be identified by the edge (edge) of the coin - on MMD coins, the inscriptions have a more rounded shape than on SPMD coins.

For regular coins that are in circulation, the mint emblems are located on the reverse of the coin under the eagle's paw on the right side. The mint monograms are standard, so you can easily distinguish them.

Here. Now you know how to identify the mint on a coin and you will be able to arrange all your coins not only in order, but also differentiate between mints, like a real professional numismatist.

The word “coin” was borrowed from the Polish language in the Peter the Great era. The Polish "moneta" is borrowed from the Latin "moneta" - coin, mint, warning. Moneta - epithet of Juno: the oldest mint of Rome was located at the temple of Juno Coins(Iuno Moneta) Moneta is a derivative of the verb moneo, monere “to warn.”

Origin of the coin

Coin form

The main coin shape is a coin circle, but coins can be quadrangular, polygonal, or irregular in shape.

Almost every coin has a front side, or obverse, and a reverse side, or reverse. The exception is single-sided coins, including bracteates (coins made from a thin silver plate from the 12th to 15th centuries). But compared to the huge mass of double-sided coins, there are relatively few of them.

There is no unity in the definition of the concepts of the front and back sides of coins. In old numismatic literature, the obverse side is with the image of the ruler. Nowadays, in practical work, it is customary to consider the obverse side of a coin to be the one that, through its image or legend, determines its nationality. If both the image and the legend indicate this, then when determining the sides, preference is given to the legend.

Metal mismatch (in foreign metal)
Minted outside the minted ring (offset image)
Uncured (without edge)
Minted with worn stamps (has unminted design elements, stripes caused by cracks in the stamp and other damage)
Minted with dies from previous years
Minted with a stamp of a different denomination

Coin safety

To characterize a coin and its collectible value, determining its safety and rarity is essential. The international numismatic market has developed names for the degrees of preservation of coins and their characteristics:

"Polished stamp" or "polished plate". This grade includes coins minted with a special stamp with a mirror surface, which must be smoothed all the time during the minting process so as not to lose its quality. Polished plate coins are modern coins intended for collectors. They usually have a mirror-like field surface and a matte, high-relief pattern. Both sides of the coin, as well as the edge, must not have any damage visible to the naked eye or minting defects.
"A polished plate with barely noticeable defects." The term is used only in English-language numismatic literature.
"Mirror shine" The highest degree of preservation of coins minted with conventional stamps. They have not been in circulation, retain their original shine, and must not have any defects visible to the naked eye.
"Uncirculated Coins". Coins that were also not in circulation, but if the 3rd grade coins are the first 100-200 copies minted with a new die, then the 4th grade coins can be minted with older dies. If coins of the 1st and 3rd grades are removed from the stamp one by one, then coins of the 4th grade are removed automatically and, when counted, packaged and stored in bags, receive defects from contact with other coins that are invisible to the naked eye.
"Great". There should be no signs of wear visible to the naked eye, although the coins have been in circulation. The surface of the coins is clean, the original shine is retained in the recesses. Only minor defects arising during the minting process, during transportation or during circulation are allowed. Coins of this state of preservation are close to coins of the previous state. The highest degree of safety for ancient and medieval coins.
"Perfect". All details of the design are clearly visible, the legends are readable without difficulty, only the most prominent parts show slight signs of wear. There may be small scratches and gouges on the sides of the coin, as well as on the edge. In fact, the lowest degree of preservation is for coins of modern times.
"Wonderful". The coin shows significant wear, with details blurred but discernible. The legend is legible, although the letters may be smoothed out. Antique and medieval coins of such preservation are included in the collection unconditionally, coins of modern times - subject to their rarity, the newest - are rejected.
"Very good". Coins that have been in circulation for a long time and are very worn. There are scratches, gouges and other defects on the sides of the coin, as well as on the edge. The legends are still readable, but already partially erased. Mint marks are difficult to distinguish. Suitable for collections of ancient and medieval coins, and also important if these are rare coins.
"Fine". Coins of this state of preservation are very worn. Only the outlines of the image are visible. Legends are hard to read, dates are difficult to read. In a museum collection, defects have significance as historical and numismatic monuments if they are of interest in this regard.

In German and English (rarely in French) numismatic literature there are three more degrees of preservation of coins (coins of this quality are not supplied to numismatic stores and auctions, with very rare exceptions).

"Poorly preserved." The images are only partially preserved, the legends are difficult to read; scratches, gouges. Such coins may still have scientific, but not collection, value.
"Poorly preserved."
"Very poorly preserved." There are almost no images preserved on coins of this state of preservation; the legends are only partially readable. Coins in very poor condition may also have mechanical damage (holes, cuts), metal peeling, etching marks, etc. Even rare coins in poor and very poor condition are very cheap.

It should be understood that the “polished plate” is not in the true sense a degree of preservation, it is a production technology. Therefore, a polished plate with serious defects that do not allow it to be classified as a “polished plate with barely noticeable defects” does not go into the “mirror gloss” category.

Canadian One Million Dollar Gold Coin

The most unusual coins of the world

The heaviest and largest in face value

The heaviest coin to date is the Million Dollar Gold Coin, produced by the Perth Mint in Australia. The 1000-kilogram coin, made of 999.9 fine gold, has a diameter of 80 cm and a thickness of 12 cm. Before it, the heaviest were the Canadian coin with a face value of 1 million dollars, weighing 100 kg, and the Austrian coin with a face value of 100 thousand euros, weighing 31.1 kg.

The most beautiful

The 2005 Mexican silver coin with images of the coat of arms of Mexico and the Aztec calendar was recognized as the most beautiful in the world. The decision was made by members of the World Mint Conference in South Korea in May 2008.

Russian Empire, USSR and Russian Federation

The country's largest coin in terms of purchasing power

Commemorative coin with a face value of 50,000 rubles of the Russian Federation weighing five kilograms of pure gold - the 150th anniversary of the Bank of Russia, issued by the Bank of Russia on February 1, 2010 in a circulation of 50 copies. This coin is legal tender throughout the Russian Federation and must be accepted for payment at a face value of 50,000 rubles. The real value of this coin is orders of magnitude higher than the nominal value.

Before this, the largest was a three-kilogram commemorative coin with a face value of 25,000 rubles of the Russian Federation made of pure gold - the 190th anniversary of the Federal State Unitary Enterprise Goznak, released into circulation by the Bank of Russia on August 11, 2008 in a circulation of 50 copies.

Interesting fact: you can pay with a coin weighing five kg of gold in any store - for example, buy a gold chain weighing 50-60 g.

The largest coin in terms of denomination

The largest coins in terms of face value of both the Russian Empire and the USSR and the Russian Federation of mass production (not investment) are the bimetallic one hundred rubles of the Russian Federation of 1992 and the copper-nickel one hundred rubles of the Russian Federation of 1993.

The smallest coin in the country

The heaviest coins in the country

Russian Empire: square copper plate 1 ruble of Catherine I with round seals - the coats of arms of Russia on four edges and with the denomination in the center. The inscription in the center in a circle: Price ruble. Ekaterinburg. 1725. The weight of the coin is slightly more than 1.6 kg. Ten coins weighed exactly a pound. Size 18x18 cm, thickness 5 mm. The coin was issued in 1725-1726 and is now extremely rare (its collectible value back in the 1960s exceeded two thousand rubles).
Modern Russia: On November 22, the Bank of Russia issued a commemorative coin made of 900-carat silver “275th anniversary of the St. Petersburg Mint”, with a total circulation of 150 pieces, a denomination of 200 rubles and a weight of 3342 grams. It took 3 kilograms of pure silver to produce one coin. Afterwards, two more similar coins were issued (with a total circulation of 500 pieces): 300 coins made of 900-carat silver and 200 coins from 925-carat silver.

The heaviest nickel

Notes

Sources

Potin V. M. Coins. Treasures. Collections: Essays on Numismatics. - St. Petersburg: Art-SPB, 1992.
Numismatist's Dictionary: Trans. with him. / H. Fengler, G. Girow, V. Unger/ 2nd ed., revised. and additional - M.: Radio and communication, 1993
Karyshkovsky, Pyotr Osipovich. Coins of Olbia. Kyiv, 1988. ISBN 5-12-000104-1.

European coins

Asian coins

African coins

American coins

If the inscriptions on coins are in Latin script, then the names of countries and denominations can be determined relatively easily. But if the coins contain only hieroglyphs, Arabic inscriptions or some other types of non-European writing, then identifying such coins becomes difficult or even almost impossible. Some novice collectors cannot even determine where such a coin is top and bottom. And yet, even without knowing oriental languages at all, you can quite accurately identify coins, since the coins of each country have their own characteristic design features. Knowledge of these features will help you identify coins almost accurately and understand them more or less freely.

Below we will talk about the characteristic features of coins from different countries, with the help of which you can identify foreign coins even if images of these coins are not shown in illustrated tables. This is not a list of world coins, but tells how to identify coins, what to look for the key to identifying coins of certain countries.

It should be noted that we will only talk about coins minted over the last 100-150 years. To identify ancient coins - oriental, ancient, medieval, it is better to use specialized catalogs, the help of specialists, museum workers or experienced numismatists.

Definition of European coins

Let's start looking at the signs that help us understand coins with the coins of European countries. We will list the countries in alphabetical order. Moreover, in some cases, not only currently existing states will be mentioned, but also some of those that are not currently on the world map, since coins of these countries are still often found in collections. Such states include, for example, Austria-Hungary, which broke up after the First World War into a number of independent states.

Many small Austro-Hungarian coins do not have inscriptions by which one could determine what kind of country it is. But they do have coats of arms that are characteristic only of Austria-Hungary (Table I, 1-2). Silver Austro-Hungarian coins can be unmistakably identified by the name of the monarch depicted on them - Franz Joseph I (vol. I, 3).

The current Austrian Republican coins have a very varied design, but all of them, without exception, bear the inscription “Republik Osterreich”, and many depict an eagle (Vol. I, 4-6).

Hungarian coins are quite varied in their design, but they are also very easy to identify, since they all contain the name of the country. From 1918 to 1945 there was the inscription “Magyar Kiralysag” (vol. I, 7), from 1946 - “Magyar Allami” (vol. I, 8) and “Magyar Koztarsasag”, and in 1953 - “Magyar Nepkoztarsasag” (vol. . I, 9), which means the Hungarian People's Republic.

In identifying Albanian coins, which are very diverse in their design, the words “Shqipni” or “Shqiperi” (as Albanians call their country) will be decisive. On later issues, which, by the way, were no longer so diverse, in addition to the word “Shqipni”, you can also read the word “Albania” (vol. I, 10-12).

On the coins of England you cannot find inscriptions identifying the name of the country (only some old coins had the inscription “Brittania”), but it is not difficult to identify them if you know the features of their design. On all English coins, without exception, there is an image of a king or queen with an inscription around this image, made not in English, but in Latin (vol. I, 13-20). This inscription gives the name of the king (or queen) and his long title. Coins of the English colonies and dominions also have images of English kings, but on such coins, as a rule, the inscriptions are made in English. In addition, they have (with rare exceptions) clear indications of where, in what territory these coins were circulated: on Canadian coins it is written “Canada”, on Australian coins - “Australia”, on coins of Southern Rhodesia - “Southern Rhodesia” and etc. Thus, if we have coins with the image of an English king (or queen), and without indicating the country, it is almost certainly an English coin.

The reverse sides of English coins are varied. Birds, sailing ships, flowers are depicted here, but most often you can find a coat of arms or a symbolic female figure - Britannia, “Mistress of the Seas”. She is depicted in ancient clothing, wearing the helmet of Athena, with a shield and the trident of Neptune, the ancient Roman god of the seas.

In England, it is not the decimal monetary system that is adopted, but a much more complex one. One shilling is made up of twelve pence, each of which is made up of four farthings. Two shillings make a florin, 5 shillings a crown, 20 shillings a pound. Currently in England the largest metal coin is the crown.

When identifying old English coins, do not be confused by the lack of denomination on them. Since the system was not decimal, coins of different denominations were quite easily distinguished in size - a penny could hardly be confused with a halfpenny coin or a farthing.

All Belgian coins have clear and distinct inscriptions, by which they can be unmistakably identified. They either say “Kingdom of Belgium” or, for example, “Leopold I, King of Belgium” (the king’s name, of course, can be different). On Belgian coins, all inscriptions are either French or Flemish. Sometimes on one coin there are inscriptions in both languages (vol. I, 21-24).

Bulgarian coins are easily identified by the Slavic font. The word “Bulgaria” is easily read on them (vol. I, 25-27).

Until 1945, all German coins bore the inscription "Deutsches Reich".

The Kaiser's silver coins in denominations of 2, 3 and 5 marks were distinguished by great variety. On the front side they depicted various princes, dukes and other monarchs of those lands and principalities that were part of the German Empire. There were many dozens of varieties of these coins, but all their reverse sides were exactly the same: they depicted the state emblem of the empire - a single-headed eagle (vol. II, 1, 2). Small coins had the image of a characteristic eagle on one side, and the name of the country, denomination and year of issue on the other.

During the First World War, in individual cities and states of Germany, numerous “Kriegsgeld”, “Notgeld” and “Ersatgeld” (that is, “war money”, “temporary money”, “money substitutes”) circulated. They were distinguished by a wide variety of design and were made of iron, zinc, aluminum or dark, cheap alloys, Saxony even issued coins made of porcelain.

On all German coins from the time of the Republic (1918-1933) you can read the name “Deutsches Reich” (vol. II, 3).

On West German coins until 1950 there was the inscription “BANK DEUTSCHER LANDER”; since 1950 on German coins it has been written “BUNDESREPUBLIK DEUTSCHLAND” (vol. II, 4).

On the coins of the GDR it is written “DEUTSCHLAND” or “DEUTSCHE DEMOKRATISCHE REPUBLIK” (vol. II, 5,6).

Among the inscriptions on the coins of Greece you can find the word “ΕΛΛΑΔΟΣ”, that is, Greece, or “ΕΛΛΗΝΣΝ” (this word is in the inscription meaning “King of the Hellenes,” that is, the Greeks) (vol. II, 7, 8). Although Greek coins use a rather distinctive script, it is not, however, an exclusive feature. The same font is found on the coins of the Ionian Islands and on the coins of Crete, but they respectively have the inscriptions: “IONIKON KPATOΣ” or “KPHTIKH POLITEIA”.

“GUERNESEY” and “JERSEY” are inscriptions on the coins of the islands of Guernsey (vol. II, 9) and Jersey (vol. II, 10), belonging to England.

The word "DANMARK" stands for "Denmark" (Vol. II, 11, 12), and can be found on any Danish coin. The word "DANZIG" was written on the coins of Danzig.

When identifying the coins of Iceland, one should focus on the type of coin as a whole (Vol. II, 13), remembering that the word “ISLAND”, denoting the name of this country, is found not only on Icelandic coins. In English, “ISLAND” means “island”, and this word can be found, for example, on coins of the island of Sumatra (ISLAND OF SUMATRA), Prince Edward Island (PRINCE EDWARD ISLAND). The coins of Spain (vol. II, 14, 15), Italy (vol. II, 16-18), Luxembourg (vol. II, 19, 20), Monaco (vol. II, 21), the Netherlands (vol. II, 22, 23), Norway (vol. II, 24, 25), Poland (vol. II, 26, 27), Portugal (vol. II, 28, 29), Romania (vol. II, 30, 31 ), San Marino (vol. II, 32), France (vol. II, 37, 38 and vol. III, 1-3). On all these coins, the names of the countries are written in Latin script.

Some Finnish coins bear the inscription "SUOMEN TASAVALTA", but most coins do not have this inscription. A characteristic feature, therefore, will be either an image of a lion, such as in the figure (vol. II, 33-36), or the name of monetary units in Finnish (“PENNIA” or “MARKKA A”). The coins of Czechoslovakia are also easily identified (vol. III, 4-7). In addition to the fact that each coin must indicate the name of the country, they also must depict a lion.

During the Nazi occupation, the territory of Czechoslovakia was divided into two parts - the “protectorate” of the Czech Republic and Moravia and the puppet state of Slovakia. The inscriptions on the coins of these times: “CECHY AMORAVA”, “SLOVENSKA REPUBLIKA”.

On Swiss coins it is written "HELVETIA" or "CONFOEDERATIO HELVETICA" (Vol. III, 8, 9). Helvetia is the ancient name for Switzerland.

All Swedish coins bear the name of the country “SVERIGE” (vol. III, 10, 11), therefore, despite the wide variety of types, it is not difficult to identify them.

The reverse sides of Eire coins depict various animals (woodcock, pig, horse, etc.). The obverse sides are all the same: they show a harp - the coat of arms of that country - and indicate the name of the country (“SAORSTAT EIREANN” or “EIRE”) (Vol. III, 13-14). Old Irish coins had the English kings on the obverse and the country's coat of arms on the reverse (Vol. III, 12).

Before the First World War, part of the territory of present-day Yugoslavia was part of Austria-Hungary, but in most of it there were two independent states - Serbia and Montenegro. Each of these states had its own coin (vol. III, 15, 16). After 1918, a kingdom was formed that lasted until 1945. At first it was called the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes (on the coins after the name of the king there was the inscription “Kralj Srba, Hrvata and Slovenac” (vol. III, 17). Since 1929, the name Yugoslavia has been adopted (vol. III, 18). Since 1945 Yugoslavia is a people's republic. The font on Yugoslav coins can be Slavic or Latin, these fonts alternate on coins of different denominations. One dinar, for example, is decorated in Latin script, 2 in Slavic, and 5 in Latin again (Vol. III, 19).

Definition of Asian coins

When identifying coins from many Asian countries, characteristic external features acquire special significance, since on most of these coins the inscriptions turn out to be completely inaccessible to the average collector.

A characteristic feature of the vast majority of Afghan coins is the image of a throne - the central part of the Afghan coat of arms. Since there were quite a few different issues of Afghan coins, the design of the throne is not the same everywhere, but whatever it is, it unmistakably indicates that this coin is Afghan (vol. III, 20-23).

All Burmese coins depict fabulous creatures - Chintya. On old coins there are also images of a peacock with a spreading tail (vol. III, 24-26).

The two most common types of Yemeni coins are shown in Figures 27 and 28 (Vol. III). Indian coins before 1947 also had images of English kings on the obverse. Republican Indian coins differ from the previous ones quite significantly (vol. III, 33-36). Now 1 Indian rupee contains 100 paisa, but earlier it consisted of 16 ani, and 1 anna consisted of 12 paisa. On all Indian coins, without exception, the name of the country is written in English, that is, in Latin script, so identifying Indian coins is no more difficult than identifying European coins.

Until 1947, individual Indian states minted their own coins. However, they represent such a vast field of collecting that there is no way to even touch on it now. As an example, only a few of the most characteristic coins are given.

Based on the inscriptions in Latin script, the coins of French Indochina until 1946, and then Vietnam (vol. IV, 3), Cambodia (vol. IV, 4) and Laos (vol. IV, 5) are easily identified.

On the coins of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam there is an image of President Ho Chi Minh. South Vietnamese coins feature three female heads. The obverse of Iraqi republican coins features the national coat of arms. Until 1958, Iraqi coins bore images of kings. The pictures show the reverse sides of the royal coins. All of them were of the same type (vol. IV, 6, 7). New Iraqi coins, from the smallest to the largest, are designed exactly the same. Only 1 fils is polygonal, while 5 and 10 fils have wavy edges (vol. IV, 8, 9).

Iranian coins usually depict the sun or a lion holding a saber, from behind whose back the sun rises (vol. IV, 10, 11).

On the coins of Jordan, in addition to Arabic inscriptions, there are also English ones, so identifying these coins is no more difficult than European ones (vol. IV, 12). In addition, all Jordanian coins from 1 to 100 fillets are completely the same type and differ from each other, in addition to different numbers that determine the denomination, only in diameter and metal (1, 5 and 10 fillets are bronze, 20, 50 and 100 are nickel).

The obverse sides of Israeli coins are designed differently, but all the reverse sides (that is, the sides where the denomination is indicated) have only two design options, so they can be the characteristic feature that will help to accurately recognize the coins of this country. A characteristic feature of Israeli coins can also be a font that is not found on any other coins (vol. III, 29-31).

On former Palestinian coins (English Protectorate) the name of the country was given in Arabic, English and Hebrew (Vol. III, 32).

On all Indonesian coins the name of the country is written in Latin letters (vol. IV, 1, 2). Before the liberation of this country, its name, given by the colonialists, was written in the same letters - Netherlands Indies.

Special consideration should be given to the coins of China. Very characteristic of old Chinese coins are bronze coins with square holes in the center. Such a coin is called qian, choh or cash. Coins of this type have been minted for many centuries not only in China, but also in Korea and Japan. It is, of course, possible to determine when such a coin was issued and where it circulated only by analyzing the meaning of the hieroglyphs on it. An external feature of Chinese coins of this type may be the presence of Manchu inscriptions on the reverse side (vol. IV, 13). There are no such inscriptions on Korean or Japanese coins. Other Chinese coins from imperial times are distinguished by a very large variety, caused by the fact that coins were minted not only at the Central Mint, but also in the provinces. Each province indicated its name on the coins. However, the general composition of the design of old Chinese coins is approximately the same - one side is covered with hieroglyphs arranged in a special way, characteristic only of Chinese coins, the other side has an image of a dragon, and around it there are inscriptions in English: at the top is the name of the province, at the bottom is the denomination (Vol. IV , 14).

Since 1906, all provinces began to issue copper coins of the same type, and only in the center in a small circle they placed a hieroglyph, which indicated for which province a given coin was issued (vol. IV, 15).

After the establishment of a bourgeois republic in China in 1911, coins continued to be minted not only in the center, but also in the provinces. But during this period, new designs appeared on Chinese coins. Especially often you can see the image of multi-pointed stars or crossed flags. On some, in addition, the name of the country or province was given not only in Chinese, but also in English (“THE REPUBLIC OF CHINA”). Nickel coins from 1911 to 1948 typically depicted Sun Yat-sen. On the silver ones there is also Sun Yat-sen (several different versions), Yuan Shikai and other statesmen (vol. IV, 16-19).

In the 30s, in the Soviet regions of China, coins were minted with five-pointed stars and with the image of a hammer and sickle against the background of the globe (vol. IV, 20). Since 1955, aluminum coins have been minted in the People's Republic of China in denominations of 1, 2 and 5 fen (Vol. IV, 21).

Old Korean coins are very similar in design to Japanese ones. This is explained by the fact that Korea was essentially a colony of Japan for a long time. Externally, Korean coins differ from Japanese ones in that instead of a chrysanthemum, they depict a five-petal flower and the name of the monetary units is not the same as in Japan. There - yen and sen, and in Korea - mun, chon, fun, yang and won (MUN, CHON, FUN, YANG, WON). In addition, on Korean coins among the Japanese characters you can find Korean ones (vol. IV, 22).

There was no metal money in Korea for a very long time, and it was only in 1959 that aluminum coins in denominations of 1 were issued in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea; 5 and 10 chon (vol. IV, 23).

South Korea also issued metal money. The name of the country is written on them in English (KOREA).

The definition of Far Eastern coins can be confused by the occasional occurrence of coins from puppet states created by Japan before the Second World War on the territory of what is now China. These "states" were called Manchukuo, Hebei and Inner Mongolia. If you do not know the characteristic features of the coins of these territories, then they can easily be confused with coins of China, Korea or Japan. It is not difficult to remember these signs, since there were relatively few types of coins from these “states”.

All Lebanese coins have inscriptions in both Arabic and French. A characteristic distinctive feature of these coins is the image of a Lebanese cedar (vol. IV, 24, 25).

The obverse sides of all coins of the Mongolian People's Republic dated 1926 and 1938 are the same. They depicted the state emblem of the MPR (vol. IV, 26). The series of identically designed coins issued in 1926 and 1938 differed from each other only in the material from which the coins were made, in size and in the most minor design details (compare vol. IV, 26 and vol. IV, 27). Thus, a series of coins in 1926 consisted of copper coins in denominations of 1, 2 and 5 mong and silver coins in denominations of 10, 15, 20 and 50 mong and 1 tugrik. 1, 2 and 5 mong from the 1938 series were made from yellow bronze, and the sizes of these coins were correspondingly reduced, and 10, 15 and 20 mong were made from nickel. 50 mong and 1 tugrik were no longer issued. Since 1946, the type of Mongolian coins has changed. The entire series from 1 to 20 mongs was designed in the same way (vol. IV, 28). Since 1959, all coins of the MPR have been minted from aluminum. 1, 2 and 5 mongs have a hole in the center, and 10, 15 and 20 are designed almost the same as the nickel coins of the previous issue (Vol. V, 1).

The coins of Moscata and Oman are different in shape, but they all have the same image (Vol. V, 2).

The coins of Nepal are very diverse in appearance. They are easily confused with Indian coins, since the Nepalese coins have the same script as the coins of many Indian states (Vol. V, 3-7). The design elements of Nepalese coins are, for example, tridents, specially shaped knives, feet, and hands. However, there are no permanent characteristic features of design; you may come across coins of Nepal that do not have any of the listed details. The latest issues of nickel rupees and 1/2 rupee have on the obverse a portrait of the king in a fez against the background of a five-pointed star.

The coins of Pakistan are easily identified by their inscriptions in English (Vol. V, 8-10).

Coins of Saudi Arabia are characterized by the image of crossed sabers and palm trees, but these images may not exist (vol. V, 11 - 13).

Syrian coins used to have the inscription in French “Etat de SYRIE”. The new coins of the Syrian Republic have only Arabic inscriptions. Their distinctive feature is the characteristic shape of an eagle (vol. V, 20-21).

The obverse of the Straits Settlements coins featured images of English kings. Since 1943, the territory's coins have been labeled "Malaya". Since 1954, Malaya and British Borneo began to have common coins. Inscriptions made in English make it easy to identify coins of this English possession.

The most typical images for Thai coins are shown in Figures 14-19 (vol. V). These images, of course, do not exhaust all types of Thai coins, but they can still be identified quite confidently by their unique font.

Tibetan coins are very diverse. One of the characteristic design elements of these coins is a stylized image of a lion. The ornaments are also unique. A characteristic feature of Tibetan coins can be a special font (vol. V, 22-23).

The old coins of Turkey, not only the Sultan’s, but also the early Republican ones, had only Arabic inscriptions, but there were not so many types of Turkish coins, so if you remember them, you can accurately identify these coins (Vol. V, 24-27) . It should be remembered that the tughra (a sign in which the name of the Sultan is inscribed) was placed not only on Turkish coins, but also on coins of a number of other Muslim countries, for example, on coins of Afghanistan, Pakistan, some Indian states, and Egypt. So, when identifying Turkish coins, one should focus on the type of coin as a whole, and not on individual details that are not something characteristic.

Since 1930, Turkish coins have acquired a completely “Europeanized” appearance, so identifying new Turkish coins has become relatively easy - on all coins you can now read “TORKIYE CUMHURIYETI” - “Republic of Turkey” and find the image of a crescent and a star (vol. V, 28, 29). The inscription will play a decisive role in identifying new Turkish coins, because the crescent with a star, as well as the tughra, can be found not only on Turkish coins.

Philippine coins on the obverse have images of a seated man or a standing woman with a hammer in her hand, an anvil and a volcano. Until 1946, that is, until the Philippines remained a colony of the United States, on these coins, in addition to the word “FILIPINAS”, there was also the inscription “UNITED STATES OF AMERIKA”. New Philippine coins do not have this inscription (Vol. V, 30, 31).

English kings used to be depicted on the coins of Ceylon. On the reverse sides was the name of the country (vol. V, 32). New Ceylon coins have a completely different design (Vol. V, 33).

A characteristic detail of the design of Japanese coins is a stylized image of a chrysanthemum flower or an image of the sun (vol. V, 34-36). These images can be found on the vast majority of Japanese coins, and only a few recent coins may not have them. But still, some signs can be found - they will be those three hieroglyphs that are depicted at the top of the coin (vol. V, 37).

Coins of the type familiar to us have been minted in Japan relatively recently - only since the 70s of the 19th century. Until this time, bronze coins with square holes in the center and silver coins in the form of rectangular bars were in circulation.

Definition of African coins

Until relatively recently, there were only two sovereign states in Africa - Abyssinia and Liberia. Now there are many of them. The number of independent countries is increasing, more and more countries are freeing themselves from the shackles of colonialism. Colonies such as British West Africa, French West and Equatorial Africa, Cameroon, Togo, Cyrenaica, Tripolitania, Madagascar, Italian Somalia and many others no longer exist. In their place new, now independent states arose.

Naturally, this phenomenon was reflected in the design of many coins of African countries - new symbols, images of elements more consistent with national traditions, portraits of local political figures rather than the rulers of colonial powers appeared.

The coins of colonial countries, at least their obverse sides, usually differed little from the coins of the mother countries. They depicted either coats of arms, or portraits of kings, or other symbols representing the colonial powers. And only on the reverse side were the names of the territories for which certain coins were intended indicated, and some characteristic images (of course, from the point of view of the colonialists) for a given area were given, giving the coins an “exotic” look. All the inscriptions on such coins, of course, are European, that is, they are made in the language of the colonial state, and only in order to give the coins the same “exoticism” can you occasionally come across non-European inscriptions. Figure 9 shows the most typical coins of colonial countries.

Coins of new independent countries are born, naturally, not simultaneously with the creation of independent states. In the early days after gaining independence, young, not yet strong states have to make a lot of efforts to eliminate the consequences of the colonialists’ rule, that is, to solve much more important issues than replacing old banknotes with new ones. Therefore, very often in newly independent African countries, old-style coins that existed during the colonial regime circulate. Of course, this phenomenon is temporary.

In many of these countries, new coins have already appeared and are circulating. New money was issued in Libya (vol. VI, 15, 16), Somalia (vol. VI, 27), Sudan (vol. VI, 28), in the United Arab Republic (vol. VI, 10, 11), in the Republic of Guinea (vol. VI, 5, 6), Ghana (vol. VI, 3, 4), Mali and some other states. New coins also circulate in the states formed on the site of most of the former French colonies. However, all these countries are divided into three groups, each of which has its own type of coins. One sample of coins was adopted for the group of West African countries (vol. VI, 36), another for the group of Central countries (vol. VI, 37) and the third for the group of East African countries. The inscriptions on the new coins are also made in French, so identifying them is not difficult.

In general, on most coins of African countries, the inscriptions are made in Latin script in European languages, so identifying them is no more difficult than identifying European coins. Such easily identifiable coins, in addition to those mentioned above, include coins of Angola, British East Africa (Fig. 9 D), Liberia (vol. VI, 13, 14), Mauritius, Nigeria (vol. VI, 23), Rhodesia and Nyasaland ( vol. VI, 24, 25), Mozambique, Seychelles (vol. VI, 26), French Somalia (vol. VI, 34), Tunisia (vol. VI, 31), South Africa (vol. VI, 35 ), as well as former colonies - Algeria, Belgian Congo, British West Africa, Madagascar, French Equatorial and West Africa, Southern Rhodesia, the Union of South Africa and others.

Perhaps, such inscriptions on coins as “EMPIRE CHERIFIEN” and “SAVO VERDE” will also make it difficult for many. The first inscription - “Empire of Sheriffs” - is sometimes found on coins of Morocco, and the second - on coins of the Portuguese possession - the Cape Verde Islands. Abbreviations such as Z.A.R. can also be problematic. or D.O.A. Z.A.R. is an abbreviation of the words “ZUID AF-RIKAANSCHE REPUBLIK”. This inscription was on the coins of the Transvaal, a once sovereign state, subsequently conquered by the British (vol. VI, 29). Letters "D.O.A." (this is an abbreviation of the words “DEUTSCH OSTAFRIKA”) were placed on some coins of the former German colony. Coins that are difficult to identify, in addition to the coins of the countries already mentioned, also include coins of Abyssinia. A characteristic feature of Abyssinian coins is the image of a lion holding a banner in its paw of a special shape (vol. VI, 1). All of these coins have an image of the emperor on the obverse. In Abyssinia and in a number of other countries in Africa and Asia, the so-called Maria Theresa thalers circulated in large quantities. These thalers were first issued at the end of the 18th century, but they were minted in Austria-Hungary until 1914, and they were all dated to the same year - 1780.

Definition of American coins

Coins of American countries, without exception, have inscriptions made in Latin script in English, Spanish or Portuguese. (Rare exceptions are other languages, such as French on the coins of Haiti, Saint-Pierre and Miquelon and some other territories, Dutch on the coins of Curacao, or Danish on the coins of the Danish West Indies and Greenland.)

On coins of the USA, Canada, Caribbean Federation, British Honduras, British Guiana, etc. etc. all inscriptions are made in English. In many countries located in a vast area that occupies part of North America, Central America and almost all of South America, as well as a number of islands in the Caribbean, the Spanish language dominates. The inscriptions on Brazilian coins are in Portuguese.

It is interesting to note that during the time of Spanish rule in the American countries subject to Spain, coins of exactly the same type were minted and circulated as in Spain. They differed from the Spanish ones only in small icons standing next to the denomination, to the left of it, and determining at which mint the given coin was minted. They were international currency and were called Spanish piastres (Fig. 10 A). Subsequently, countermarks were placed on many of these coins, thus converting Spanish piastres into coins of other countries - Chinese, Australian, English, Brazilian and others. One of these “re-coins” is shown in Figure B. This is a Spanish piastre (more precisely 8 reals, minted in Bolivia), with the help of a re-coin converted into Brazilian 960 flights.

The design of coins of American countries is generally very diverse. Very often there are images of women symbolizing “freedom”, or images of Phrygian caps - the so-called freedom caps. Eagles and five-pointed stars are also often depicted. Some coins of Latin American countries depict Bolivar, one of the leaders of the struggle for independence. There are also images of other famous people - Columbus, Balboa, Lincoln, Marti, Cuauhtemoc, Juarez, Morelos, Hidalgo and others. On the coins of the territories dependent on England (Canada, Newfoundland, the Caribbean Federation, Jamaica and others) English kings are depicted.

The names of countries, as a rule, appear on all American coins, so identifying them is a relatively simple matter. And it is the inscription, and not the type, that one should focus on when identifying these coins, since with their great diversity, the design features of the coins of a particular country are not clearly expressed. The following are the names of the countries of America, as they are usually written on coins, and the numbers of the images of the coins of the corresponding countries are indicated:

Argentina - Republica Argentina (vol. VII, 1,2).
Bolivia - Republica de Bolivia (vol. VII, 3). Brazil - Brasil (Fig. 2 and vol. VII, 4). British Guiana - British Guiana.
British Honduras - British Honduras. Venezuela - Estados unidos de Venezuela or Republica Venezuela (vol. VII, 5).
Haiti - Republique d "Haiti (vol. VII, 6). Guadeloupe - Guadeloupe.
Guatemala - Republica de Guatemala (vol. VII, 7).
Honduras - Republica de Honduras (vol. VII, 8).
Greenland - Gronlands Styrelse.
Dominican Republic - Republica Dominicana (vol. VII, 9).
Canada - Canada (vol. VII, 10, 11).
Caribbean Federation - British Caribbean Territories (vol. VII, 12).
Colombia - Republica de Colombia (vol. VII, 13).
Costa Rica - Republica de Costa-Rica (vol. VII, 14).
Cuba - Republica de Cuba (vol. VII, 15-17).
Curacao - Curacao.
Martinique - Martinique.
Mexico - Republica Mexicana or Esta-dos Unidos Mexicanos (vol. VII, 18-20).
Nicaragua - Republica de Nicaragua (vol. VII, 21).
Newfoundland - Newfoundland.
Panama - Republica de Panama.
Paraguay - Republica del Paraguay (vol. VII, 22).
Peru - Republica Peruana (vol. VII, 23). El Salvador - Republica del Salvador (vol. VII, 24).
Saint Pierre and Miquelon - Saint Pierre et Miquelon.
United States of America (vol. VII, 25-28).
Uruguay - Republica oriental del Uruguay (vol. VII, 29).
Chile - Republica de Chile (vol. VII, 30). Ecuador - Republica del Ecuador (vol. VII, 31).
Jamaica - Jamaica.

A coin is not only a form of money or a piece of metal, but also a valuable object from a historical point of view. For rare original specimens, numismatists are willing to pay colossal sums of money, reaching several million dollars. Collectors who do not have such amounts of money also strive to replenish their collection with unique coins. This is what scammers who have learned to professionally counterfeit metal money take advantage of. For this reason, all numismatists are wondering how to determine the authenticity of a coin.

Making counterfeits

Before you begin to consider methods for making fake coins, you should know the difference between counterfeit coins and counterfeits. Counterfeit coins are made for further use in monetary circulation. Counterfeits are created with the aim of defrauding coin collectors of money. Often, scammers offer fakes as remakes, but in reality there is nothing in common between them. For reference: a remake is a coin minted based on the prototype of the original coin for collecting. In most cases, remakes are minted with original dies.

Sestroretsk ruble - original

In Russia, high-quality production of counterfeit coins began in the seventeenth century. But today, counterfeit production methods have improved significantly, making counterfeit coins very difficult to distinguish from originals. The most common methods of making counterfeits include:

Casting: According to this method, the alloy for casting coins is poured into special molds that accurately imitate the obverse and reverse of the original coin. The use of electrolysis copying technology makes it possible to produce high-quality counterfeits.
Using a new stamp: for minting counterfeit coins, a new stamp is made that copies the design of the obverse and reverse of the original specimen.
Production of a galvanoplastic copy: first, copies of the reverse and obverse of the original are made from plastic or plaster. After this, a conductive layer was applied to the finished plates, and copper was deposited on it using the electrolysis method. The plates imitating the obverse and reverse were adjusted to each other and soldered so that the thickness of the counterfeit coin completely coincided with the thickness of the original coin.
Refinement: According to this method, an ordinary genuine coin is taken and, with the help of special technologies, the necessary adjustments are made regarding the date, name of the mint, etc. There is also the practice of restoring images and dates.
Copy Coining: In this method, the alloy is cast into a die created by laser cutting tools.

Despite the prevalence of cases of counterfeit coins being sold as originals, copies are also in demand among numismatists. For example, coins of Tsarist Russia made of silver, gold or base metal are very popular among collectors. The most sought-after royal coins are associated with the period from the eighteenth century to 1916. For a silver copy of the coin you will have to pay up to three thousand rubles, but a copy made of plain metal will cost a numismatist about 400 rubles.

How to distinguish a fake from the original?

Distinguishing an original coin from a fake is not as easy as it might seem, but all because copies can be of such high quality that even an expert will not be able to immediately determine the authenticity.

Among numismatists, there are ways to independently identify a counterfeit coin. How to check a coin for authenticity without being a professional:

If possible, you should take the coin and evaluate the color of its metal and patina (the layer that forms on the surface of the coin over time as a result of oxidation of the metal). It is worth noting that to give coins the effect of antiquity, craftsmen skillfully fake the patina using methods such as baking, painting, smoking with tobacco smoke, etc. It is not difficult to identify a fake patina. Firstly, it will spread across the metal in the form of round spots. Secondly, the patina will be located only on the surface of the coins, while there will be no patina on scratches and abrasions. Bright spots of patina on silver are also a sign of a fake.
In good daylight, the entire surface of the coin should be examined. If you can see other metal showing through the abrasions, then most likely the coin is a low-quality Chinese counterfeit.
The shine of the metal also requires special attention. If the coin is excessively shiny, this indicates that it was recently made. The dullness of the coin should also alert the numismatist, since it is typical for counterfeit gold coins that do not contain gold, and the dull coating is created by gilding. A greasy sheen indicates that a coin purporting to be made from a precious metal contains a large amount of zinc.
It is recommended to examine the coin with a magnifying glass. A non-uniform metal surface will indicate that the specimen is a fake.
When evaluating cast coins, it is important to pay attention to the quality of the cast coin circle. Ideally, it should have clear outlines, but the presence of a blunt edge, residual bubbles and foreign particles on the surface of the metal indicates that the coin is made of a low-quality alloy.
The parameters (diameter and thickness) of the purchased copy should be compared with the parameters of the original coin, if one is available. It is also important to compare the mass of the two coins.
You should also evaluate the quality of the small images minted on the coin and compare them with those depicted on the standard.
If the authenticity of coins made of silver or gold is being assessed, then you should take one copy and throw it on a hard horizontal surface, for example, a table. When it hits the surface, the precious metal will produce a clear, ringing sound.
If a coin consists of a certain two-component alloy, then its authenticity can be assessed using the hydrostatic weighing technique. Its essence is to determine the mass of a coin in air and water. The difference in mass in grams, if 2 originals are compared, will be equal to the volume of the coin being valued. However, if there is a third component in the alloy, then this method is not suitable for determining the authenticity of a coin consisting of a three-component metal alloy.

Every numismatist should also know which coins are most often counterfeited:

hryvnia 1705;
1 ruble 1707;
1 ruble 1721;
1 ruble 1725;
20 kopecks 1764;
1 ruble 1834;
coins of the Soviet period and others.

In order not to fall for a scammer, a numismatist should know how many originals and remakes of a particular coin exist in the world. You should also avoid buying collectibles from random people. It is recommended to purchase coins from an experienced numismatist, because only in this case can you protect yourself from buying a fake.

The passion for numismatics seems very profitable only at first glance. In fact, collectors spend fabulous sums on purchasing exclusive coins and are in no hurry to part with them.

Even you can have rare coins! Shake the change out of your pockets and look at it carefully - it is quite possible that it is your penny that numismatists are missing to complete a rare collection of coins.

Determining Value

The age of a coin does not always mean its high value. The true value of a coin depends on several determining factors:

Image Features
Coating condition
Denomination
Circulation

But the main factor influencing the price is the circulation of a given coin. There are rare copies, the circulation of which did not exceed 1000 pieces.

Moreover, the year of issue does not always affect the rarity - currently they issue such types of coins as commemorative, investment or collectible coins. They are deliberately minted in small quantities, emphasizing the rarity and increasing the value of a given coin.

World records

Based on all of the above factors, numismatists included the rarest coins of the world in the rating list. After reviewing the list of 5 unique specimens, you can be convinced that the rarity and price of a coin does not always depend on its age.

Konstantinovsky ruble

Rare items are rightfully headed by a coin with a face value of 1 ruble, issued in 1825, otherwise known as the Konstantinovsky ruble. At the moment there are only 6 of these copies!

Such a small circulation is explained by the error of the coinage: the mint of the Russian Empire prepared in advance the stamps for printing coins after the coronation of Tsarevich Konstantin Pavlovich. However, it later became known that he had abdicated the throne in advance, which was taken by Nicholas I.

The circulation was immediately destroyed, but rare items managed to enter circulation in small quantities and survive to this day.

Kopek of Elena Glinskaya

One of the first kopecks of Great Rus', issued in 1535 after the order of the ruler Elena Glinskaya.

The appearance of money is changing - if earlier silver coins were minted with a man with a sword drawn, now rare coins are printed with a horseman striking a snake with a spear. You can still see this pattern now - it adorns the reverse of 50 Russian kopecks.

Five Cents of Liberty

The rarest coin in the United States of America is the five-cent Liberty Head, issued in 1913.

The thing is that until the beginning of the twentieth century, 5 cents were printed with the image of a girl’s face - a symbol of freedom - on the obverse of the coin. But in 1913, a new type of coinage was introduced - with the head of an Indian on the obverse.

The embossing of the girl's profile was then accepted as counterfeiting. The circulation was destroyed, and only 5 rare coins have survived to this day.

190th anniversary of GoZnak

In 2008, the St. Petersburg Mint issued only 50 golden anniversary coins with a face value of 25 thousand rubles in honor of the 190th anniversary of the GoZnak enterprise. The rare coins are made of pure 999 gold and weigh 3 kilograms with a diameter of 120 millimeters.

The interesting thing is that the owner of such a coin can pay with it in any store in the country. But it’s unlikely that anyone will want to part with a product whose cost reaches 3 million rubles.

Coin of 50 thousand rubles

Just such a product made of pure gold weighing 5 kilograms was released in 2010 in honor of the 150th anniversary of the founding of the Bank of Russia.

Now there are only 50 copies in the world. Rare coins are valued at a minimum of 6 million rubles apiece.

USSR coins

Rare coins of the Soviet period are also characterized by small mintages. Their appearance is due to errors in the development of stamps, the minting of trial runs and their subsequent prohibition for distribution.

Below you can see the rarest coins from the times of the Soviet Union:

2 kopecks 1927;

20 kopecks 1934;

2 kopecks 1942;

15 kopecks 1947;

coins from 1958;

10 rubles 1992.

All rare editions are supported by interesting stories. For example, rare coins from 1947 and 1958 had a coat of arms on the reverse with 16 binding ribbons instead of 15.

Many rare editions date back to the period of formation of the USSR as a state and dated back to the 20-30s of the twentieth century. This is understandable - it is impossible to introduce a unified official monetary system immediately after the formation of the country. Many copies were trial and were not approved later for various reasons.

And rare coins from the 40s are considered to be wartime antiques. It is known that at the beginning of the war the state's economy was in a deplorable state. The Leningrad Mint restored its work only in 1942 during evacuation.

Only a few hundred 2-kopeck coins were issued that year, and almost all of them were used by soldiers to create homemade lighters. Therefore, the remaining copies of the 2-kopeck coin of those times are very highly valued.

Coins of Ukraine

Rare coins of Ukraine also date back to the period of formation of the State Mint and to the time when the design of the national currency was under development.

For example, 15 kopecks, issued in 1992 and made of brass, are considered a rare coin. This denomination was never released into circulation.

Rare Ukrainian coins were also issued in the following denominations:

1 hryvnia 1992 coin;

1 kopeck and 5 kopecks 1994;

1 hryvnia 1995 coin;

2 kopecks 1996;

25 and 50 kopecks 2001.

The rarity of the circulation of these coins may be due to the distinctive mark of the mint, unusual convexity or concavity of the patterns according to the standard, or defects. For example, a defective 50 kopeck coin printed in 1992 is considered a rare coin—their obverse is rotated 180 degrees relative to the reverse.

A similar defect is observed in the iron hryvnia of the same issue.

Coins of Russia

Rare Russian coins are shrouded in mysteries and secrets. For example, an interesting situation arose with coins issued in 2001 - officially in that year the mint did not produce circulation of coins in denominations of 50 kopecks, 1 and 2 rubles. But numismatists find such specimens with amazing frequency.

The same situation applies to 5 rubles issued in 1999 - only one such coin has been found so far. Therefore, numismatists say that for one more found copy of it they are ready to pay a fabulous sum.

Below you can explore rare modern Russian coins:

1 ruble 1997;

5 rubles 1999;

10 kopecks 2001;

1 and 2 rubles 2001;

2 and 5 rubles 2003.

Rare commemorative coins of 10 rubles issued in 2010 are also considered valuable. They depict the coats of arms of the Perm Territory, the Chechen Republic and the Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Territory.

In 2014, this series was replenished with coins of 10 rubles with the image of the Sevastopol monument to sunken ships and the outlines of Crimea.