Why Coin Collecting Continues to Fascinate
Today, a person who studies, and collects, coins is referred to as a “numismatic.” It is derived from the Latin word numisma, which in translation means “coin”. Collecting coins is sometimes referred to as the “Hobby of Kings” due to its association with emperors, kings and ancient rulers who collected coins, including Pope Boniface VIII, Emperor Charles IV and Emperor Maximillian of the Holy Roman Empire and Elector Joachim II of Brandenburg, among others.
As such, coin-collectors literally can trace the collecting of coins back to Ancient Rome and to Caesar Augustus (63 BC-14AD) in particular. The emperor collected coins during his travels through many foreign lands and gave the coins away as gifts.
Later, the Italian Renaissance scholar and philosopher, Francesco Petrarca (1304-1374), known as Petrarch to the English-speaking world, was not only considered the “Father of Humanism”, but he is also remembered as the first “numismatic”.
Petrarch’s panache for collecting coins was discovered through his written responses to inquiries from others regarding their interest in attaining his expertise in identifying the origins of, or individuals on, ancient coins. He was also approached by others to purchase their old coins from them directly. In 1355, he gifted a set of Roman coins to Holy Roman Emperor Charles IV. Petrarch was fascinated by coins and was the first truly educated buyer, seller and collector of coins.
By 1792, and as a by-product of the destruction of the Ancien Regime’s monetary system during the French Revolution, coin-collecting was established in France. The traditional term for coin-collector was then borrowed by the French, and once translated, became the French word “numismatique.”
But, the term numismatic and its current definition, which includes collectors who research, write, catalogue and document coinage and fiat currencies, only came into use within the English-speaking world in 1829. Numismatic is now part of our lexicon.
People collect gold and silver coins for many reasons. Coin collectors feel an innate connection to coins, whether it is generated by possession, ownership, personal pleasure or profit. Many collectors are emotionally involved in the collecting process simply because coins make people feel good. They represent power, wealth and prestige.
Collectors interact with their coins through their five senses. Taste is the one exception. Although, some people have been known to test the authenticity of coins with their teeth. But, most people interact with coins primarily by using their four remaining senses – sight, hearing, touch and smell.
As most people realize, coins worth collecting are beautiful and interesting to examine visually. They also jingle, making music to the ear, like no other commodity. And, although many collectors wear cotton gloves when touching the silver coins in their collections, silver coins still feel heavy, cold and undulating to the touch. Silver coins even have a distinctive smell, which wafts through the air and clings to your fingers, when the small silver coins are touched by human hands.
Some people collect coins solely for their numismatic value. These collectors are always on the lookout for the next perfect silver coin and surf the internet, browse coin markets and take part in auctions in order to discover their next purchase. These collectors are as vigilant in their quest for their desired coins as if they were hunting for deer in the woods. Once bagged, they celebrate!
Some collectors seek out coins because they are rare and have connections to historic events. Old coins, literally and figuratively, connect us to the past. They not only represent who we are today, but who we were in the past.
Many people collect coins as an investment. They buy, sell and trade their coins on the open market with the hope of making a profit along the way. But, this profit motive does not in any way negate the collector’s fascination with coins in general.
Others collect coins solely for pleasure. Collecting for those people is a hobby. They never intend to sell them or expect to attain a profit. They collect coins because they enjoy researching, pursuing and displaying their intriguing, customized silver coin collections. These collections are highly personalized and reflect the ever-changing, and varied interest, of the individual collector.
There are also coin collectors who simply collect coins that inspire them. They view the coins in their collections as small works of art. They collect what they consider to be beautiful, intriguing, alluring, unique and creatively-designed coins. This collector views their small silver coin collection as a gallery of fabulous art, just as did wealthy 17th, 18th and 19th century collectors, who acquired portraits for their residential galleries.
We obviously believe Chris Duane’s Silver Shield coins can fulfill all of the attributes, and design essentials, desired by any collector, whether he be new to collecting or a well-seasoned collector. His coins are at the same time – art, timely, historic, pure, enchanting, interesting, creative, emotional, exquisite, alarming, endearing, inspiring, thought-provoking, valuable, and most importantly, fascinating.
