Coins of the World. A Visual History of the Development of World Numismatics from Antiquity to the Present Day

What can a coin tell us? Coins—whether ancient, gold, silver, or the simplest—reflect the entire history of humanity. Coins have witnessed financial upheavals and coups, and they were certainly not mere bystanders: how many times in history has a seemingly insignificant event led to the re-striking of thousands of coins or a change in their appearance! Just think of the story of the 'Russian Iron Mask'—the young Tsar Ivan Antonovich, after whose arrest coins bearing his portrait were withdrawn from circulation, and now they have become a numismatic rarity. Or our infamous perestroika, when the composition of coins, the type of metal they were minted from, and their weight could indicate the current financial state of the country. There are also legends about how coins contributed to unexpected historical turns. Allegedly, when King Louis XVI tried to escape the country after the Great French Revolution, he was recognized and arrested thanks to the royal profile that was being minted on the coins at that time. This book is for those interested in numismatics and who love to study history from unusual perspectives. You will learn: - how rubles, dollars, pounds, and shillings came into being; - what the first coins looked like and what they were made from; - why coins were subjected to re-striking; - how the issuance of new coins could enhance the prestige of the state; - whether the authorities could participate in the process of producing counterfeit money; - how to 'read' the small signs and symbols on a coin and what they mean.