The Numismatics Portal

Electrum coin from Ephesus, 520-500 BCE. Obverse: Forepart of stag. Reverse: Square incuse punch

Numismatics is the study or collection of currency, including coins, tokens, paper money, medals, and related objects. Experts of this study, known as numismatists, are often characterized as students or collectors of coins, but the discipline also includes the broader study of money and other means of payment used to resolve debts and exchange goods.

The earliest forms of money used by people are categorised by collectors as "odd and curious", but the use of other goods in barter exchange is excluded, even where used as a circulating currency (e.g., cigarettes or instant noodles in prison). As an example, the Kyrgyz people used horses as the principal currency unit, and gave small change in lambskins; the lambskins may be suitable for numismatic study, but the horses are not.[dubious discuss] Many objects have been used for centuries, such as cowry shells, precious metals, cocoa beans, large stones, and gems. (Full article...)

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Banknotes of the Canadian dollar are the banknotes or bills (in common lexicon) of Canada, denominated in Canadian dollars (CAD, C$, or $ locally). Currently, they are issued in $5, $10, $20, $50, and $100 denominations. All current notes are issued by the Bank of Canada, which released its first series of notes in 1935. The Bank of Canada has contracted the Canadian Bank Note Company to produce the Canadian notes since then. The current series of polymer banknotes were introduced into circulation between November 2011 and November 2013. Banknotes issued in Canada can be viewed at the Bank of Canada Museum in Ottawa. (Full article...)

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Credit: US Mint, User:Dbenbenn & Sniff

A stunning 2002 Lincoln cent proof with a mirror-like finish. Lincoln's profile is complemented by a frosty cameo finish.

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Newfoundland 2 dollar coin
Reverse, Newfounland two dollars

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The Queen's Beasts coins are British coins issued by the Royal Mint in platinum, gold, and silver since 2016. Each of the 10 beast coins in the series features a stylized version of one of the heraldic Queen's Beasts statues present at the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II representing her royal line of ancestry. The silver coin is notable as the first two-ounce United Kingdom silver bullion coin. Engraver Jody Clark designed the entire series. In December 2016, a full line of proof-quality coins was announced. In 2017, the mint began producing a platinum version of the coin. In April 2021, the Royal Mint issued an eleventh "Completer Coin" that featured all 10 of the Queen's Beasts, taking the series to 11 coins in total. The April 2021 release included a "one of a kind" gold coin weighing 10 kg and a denominated value of £10,000. Based upon the UK spot price at the time of release, the 10 kg gold coin had an intrinsic scrap value of approximately £411,000. It was widely reported that the 10 kg gold coin was the heaviest gold coin the Royal Mint had ever produced and that it had taken 400 hours to produce, four days to polish and has been described as a "Masterwork". The Royal Mint announced that Completer Coin completes the Queen's Beasts commemorative collection.

Single coins were delivered in a plastic coin capsule or flip, as chosen when ordering. Bulk orders were delivered in the same containers used for packaging Britannia bullion coins: 10 coins per tube, 20 tubes per box. The tube for silver can potentially hold a total of 14 coins. Proof coins were typically delivered in a coin capsule along with a display box and a booklet explaining the beast's significance in heraldic art. (Full article...)

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Credit: User:Timur lenk.
100 000 000 b.‑pengő (1020 pengő). Highest numbered banknote issued during the worst hyperinflation in the history.

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Numismatic terminology

  • 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. This may result is two or more varieties of the coin in the same year.
  • Exonumia – 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 – The study of paper money or banknotes.
  • Scripophily – The study and collection of stocks and Bonds.

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Subcategories

Most traded currencies

Most traded currencies by value
Currency distribution of global foreign exchange market turnover[1]
Currency ISO 4217
code
Proportion of daily volume Change
(2022–2025)
April 2022 April 2025
U.S. dollarUSD88.4%89.2%Increase 0.8pp
EuroEUR30.6%28.9%Decrease 1.7pp
Japanese yenJPY16.7%16.8%Increase 0.1pp
Pound sterlingGBP12.9%10.2%Decrease 2.7pp
RenminbiCNY7.0%8.5%Increase 1.5pp
Swiss francCHF5.2%6.4%Increase 1.2pp
Australian dollarAUD6.4%6.1%Decrease 0.3pp
Canadian dollarCAD6.2%5.8%Decrease 0.4pp
Hong Kong dollarHKD2.6%3.8%Increase 1.2pp
Singapore dollarSGD2.4%2.4%Steady
Indian rupeeINR1.6%1.9%Increase 0.3pp
South Korean wonKRW1.8%1.8%Steady
Swedish kronaSEK2.2%1.6%Decrease 0.6pp
Mexican pesoMXN1.5%1.6%Increase 0.1pp
New Zealand dollarNZD1.7%1.5%Decrease 0.2pp
Norwegian kroneNOK1.7%1.3%Decrease 0.4pp
New Taiwan dollarTWD1.1%1.2%Increase 0.1pp
Brazilian realBRL0.9%0.9%Steady
South African randZAR1.0%0.8%Decrease 0.2pp
Polish złotyPLN0.7%0.8%Increase 0.1pp
Danish kroneDKK0.7%0.7%Steady
Indonesian rupiahIDR0.4%0.7%Increase 0.3pp
Turkish liraTRY0.4%0.5%Increase 0.1pp
Thai bahtTHB0.4%0.5%Increase 0.1pp
Israeli new shekelILS0.4%0.4%Steady
Hungarian forintHUF0.3%0.4%Increase 0.1pp
Czech korunaCZK0.4%0.4%Steady
Chilean pesoCLP0.3%0.3%Steady
Philippine pesoPHP0.2%0.2%Steady
Colombian pesoCOP0.2%0.2%Steady
Malaysian ringgitMYR0.2%0.2%Steady
UAE dirhamAED0.4%0.1%Decrease 0.3pp
Saudi riyalSAR0.2%0.1%Decrease 0.1pp
Romanian leuRON0.1%0.1%Steady
Peruvian solPEN0.1%0.1%Steady
Other currencies2.6%3.4%Increase 0.8pp
Total[a]200.0%200.0%

References

  1. Triennial Central Bank Survey Foreign exchange turnover in April 2025 (PDF) (Report). Bank for International Settlements. 30 September 2025. p. 14. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2025-10-12.

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  1. The total sum is 200% because each currency trade is counted twice: once for the currency being bought and once for the currency being sold. The percentages above represent the proportion of all trades involving a given currency, regardless of which side of the transaction it is on.
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