Numismatics (ancient Greek: νομισματική) is the scientific study of money and its history in all its varied forms. While numismatists are often characterized as studying coins, the discipline also includes a much larger study of payment media used to resolve debts and the exchange of goods.
Exonumia is the study of coin-like objects such as token coins and medals, and other items used in place of legal currency or for commemoration. Notaphily is the study of paper money or banknotes. Scripophily is the study and collection of stocks and Bonds. Numismatics is an ancient discipline, reaching as far back as Julius Caesar, who is often credited with writing the first book on numismatics. It can include the study of many different aspects relating to coins, including history, geography, economics, metallurgy, usage, and manufacturing processes.
Economic and historical studies of money's use and development are separate to the numismatists' study of money's physical embodiment (although the fields are related; economic theories of money's origin depend upon numismatics, for example).
The dollar is the unit of currency of the United States. It is normally abbreviated to the dollar sign $, or alternatively US$ to distinguish it from other dollar-denominated currencies. The U.S. dollar is divided into 100 (equal) cents.
Adopted by the Congress of the Confederation of the United States on July 6, 1785, the U.S. dollar today is the most-used currency in the world. Several countries use the U.S. dollar as their official currency, and many others allow it to be used in a de facto capacity. In 1995, over US$380 billion were in circulation, of which two-thirds was outside the United States. By 2005 that figure had doubled to nearly $760 billion with an estimated half to two-thirds being held overseas, which is an annual growth of about 6.6%.
When currently issued in circulating form, denominations equal to or less than a dollar are emitted as U.S. coins while denominations equal to or greater than a dollar are emitted as Federal Reserve notes. In the past, paper money was occasionally issued in denominations less than a dollar and gold coins were issued for circulation up to the value of 20 dollars.
- Bullion - Precious metals (platinum, gold and silver) in the form of bars, ingots or plate.
- Error - Usually a mis-made coin not intended for circulation, but can also refer to an engraving or die-cutting error not discovered until the coins are released to circulation.
- Exonumia is the study of coin-like objects such as token coins and medals, and other items used in place of legal currency or for commemoration.
- Fineness - Purity of precious metal content expressed in terms of one thousand parts. 90% is expressed as .900 fine.
- Notaphily is the study of paper money or banknotes.
- Scripophily is the study and collection of stocks and Bonds.
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WikiProject: Numismatics
Here are some Numismatics related tasks you can do:
- Requested Images: Guinea (British coin), English coin Three Farthings, Palladium coin, Nabataean coinage, Wiredawg More...
- Wikify/Cleanup: Twenty pence (English coin), Canadian Silver Maple Leaf, Chinese Silver Panda, Common coin errors, Gold standard, Coin grading, Euro, History of the English penny (1154-1485), Petrocurrency More...
- Merge: St. Gaudens Double Eagle More...
- Expand: Coins of Australia, Half sovereign, 5 yen coin, Canadian Silver Maple Leaf, Coins of Ireland, Series of 1928 (United States Currency), Royal Mint, Achaemenid currency, Elymais, Roman provincial coins, Seleucid coinage, Nabataean coinage, South Vietnamese đồng More...
- Stubs: Aes rude, Airman's coin, Banliang, Brockage, Central Mint of China, Chinese currency, Cistophorus, Dahlonega Mint, Doubloon, Fed Shreds, Flying Eagle cent, Gold Coinage Act, Napoleon (coin), Pattern coin, Star note, Texas Redbacks, Zuz (coin) More...
- Improve to GA: History of money, Numismatics, Roman currency, Money, Ancient Greek coinage, Fiat currency, United States Mint, Canadian Silver Maple Leaf, More...
- Improve to FA: Peace Dollar More...
- Projects: Finish Assessment, Expand and reorganize style guide, New category structure, Infoboxes: designing and adding to pages, more...
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