In addition to preserving and celebrating the heritage of nations, coins have their own rich history.
More than 2000 years ago, around 610 BCE, the first metal coins were produced in Ancient Lydia (occupying the land we now know as Turkey), using an anvil and hammer to place an image on a blank piece of metal. These were known as Lydian half starters.
Around 500 BCE, the Ancient Greeks began to use two dies to imprint both sides of their coins, and then around 350 BCE the Chinese started to produce round coins by pouring molten metal into moulds.
Around 289 BCE, the Romans made their first coins from heavy-cast bronze, often decorating them with imagery and inscriptions to convey ideas.
The creativity and beauty of coin designs have grown over time while the processes to produce them have advanced.
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