Procopius Coin School – Counterfeits and Replicas: Methods of Coin Forgery A coin may be made of genuine gold, may be several hundred years old, and may even come from an old collection – yet none of this in itself proves that it is genuine. To assess its authenticity, it is also necessary to clarify that…
The Evolution of a Collection: How do we move from modern coins to old coins? Most coin collections do not begin as a consciously planned system. It usually starts simply with a coin that catches your eye. It might be beautiful, familiar, easy to get hold of, or hold some personal significance. This leads to the second one…
Is it rare, or does it just look old? What makes a coin rare? „It’s very old, so it must be valuable” – this is one of the most common misconceptions we come across in numismatics. Yet a coin’s age alone says nothing about its rarity or market value. There are two thousand…
How do you examine a coin? A 10-point checklist for the novice collector You spot a lovely coin. You like it. They say it’s rare. According to the seller, of course, it’s „guaranteed genuine”, „never cleaned”, and was more or less dug out of grandad’s drawer the day before yesterday. This is exactly when you should resist buying it…
The Importance of Quality: Grades of Condition in Europe and the USA There can be a price difference – sometimes several-fold or even an order of magnitude – between two coins of the same type, from the same year and with the same mint mark. This difference is often due not to rarity, but to condition. Anyone who learns to recognise the genuine…
How can we get started in coin collecting whilst spending as little as possible on learning the ropes? If you were to ask a hundred experienced collectors what the most expensive coin they’d ever bought was, many wouldn’t mention a rare gold coin. Instead, they’d mention that completely ordinary coin which, as a beginner with no experience…
The history of János Hunyadi's gold florins - A highlight of medieval Hungarian coinage The world of medieval Hungarian gold coins occupies a special place in the numismatic history of Europe. For centuries, the stable gold currency created by the Anjouk remained one of the continent's most reliable means of payment, and this...
A „world money” in Hungarian robes, why was it born, what was it used for and why did it never become a people's money? One of the most fascinating yet often misunderstood gold coins in 19th century Hungarian monetary history is the Hungarian 8 forint. It is called a forint in name and looks like Hungarian state money, but its function is...
Power, crisis and coinage at the end of the 14th century In the second half of the 14th century, Hungary was still one of the most powerful and wealthy states in Central Europe. The reign of King Louis the Great brought stability, prosperity and foreign policy prestige, but his death (1382) marked the end of an era....
This document provides a complete technical overview for the identification of the drachmas of the Sasanian rulers. Ardas tomb I (224-240) Crown type: tall, stepped/roofed form, topped with a large korymbos.Characteristics: simple, archaic style, little decoration.Portrait: shorter beard, simple dress.Back: early, simple fire-altar type.Attribute: easily recognisable by the simplicity of the crown....
