World Coins Collecting

Italy Umberto I 20 lira gold coin Minted 1880 - 1897 Fineness: .900 Actual Gold Content: .1867 troy ounce Umberto I, also known as Humbert I, was King of Italy from 1878 until his death in 1900. He was son to Victor Emmanuel II, who united Italy under a single kingdom during the 'Risorgimento' movement of the 19th century. Umberto I was the only modern King of Italy to die by assassination, killed by the Italo-American anarchist Gaetano Bresci. In history, Umberto I was referred to as "The Good" although he was wildly unpopular throughout his rule with left-wing circles. His assassination was said to be retribution for his praise of General Fiorenzo Bava-Beccaris' restoration of order during an uprising in the city of Milan. In this uprising, Bava-Beccaris used a cannon against demonstrators protesting the rising cost of bread. Two assassination attempts on Umberto I immediately followed, with the third attempt ultimately claiming the King's life in 1900.

Belgium Albert 20 franc gold coin (military) Minted 1914 Fineness: .900 Actual Gold Content: .1867 troy ounce

US Eagles -- gold bullion coins Fineness: .916 Actual Gold Content: 1.0 troy ounce (31.103 grams) Diameter: 32.7 mm Face value: $50 (also minted in 1/2, 1/4, 1/10 ounce sizes)

Coins Of India Coins Of India

Coins Of Gupta Period The Gupta dynasty emerged as a powerful force in India around 260 A.D. and was the first dynasty of kings to truly unite the region and create a unified empire in India that stretched from the Arabian sea in the western region to the Bay of Bengal in the east. Samudragupta was the first major king of the dynasty and strengthened his alliances by marrying into the Licchavi clan to Kumaradevi. He united the kingdoms between the samudra's to the west and east and hence proclaimed himself the title "Samudra-gupta". One of the major sources of historically accurate data on the Gupta Dynasty comes from the Allahabad Pillar inscriptions, which details out the chronological history of the Gupta Dynasty as well as the details of the conquests of the Gupta Kings and the formation of the Gupta Empire. The Shivlee Collection of coins from the Gupta Empire has been formed over many decades and is presented here online as a resource to further the resear...

Coins Of Different Countries You could, of course, decide to specialize in the coins of one particular country. This is a very common way for collectors to start. Others go to the opposite extreme and try to collect coins from as many different countries as possible. Many collectors will only collect coins from a certain period in history, such as collectors of ancient coins. Coins Of Different Countries

Tunisia 20 franc gold coin Minted 1903 - 1906 Fineness: .900 Actual Gold Content: .1867 troy ounce Tunisia, located on the southern shore of the Mediterranean Sea just south and southwest of the islands of Sardinia and Sicily, was settled in the 12th century B.C., the center of the Carthaginian Empire. Following the destruction of Carthage, it passed under control of the Roman Empire until passing in turn to Arab control in 648, enduring to the Turkish invasion in 1570. Economic bankruptcy opened the door to the establishment of a French protectorate in 1881, leading eventually to autonomy and national independence in 1956.

Switzerland Helvetia 20 franc gold coin Minted 1897 - 1930 Fineness: .900 Actual Gold Content: .1867 troy ounce Owing to its central geographic location among the great powers of Europe, Switzerland has been a commercial and banking center for centuries. It is famous for its role in the gold market where "the gnomes of Zurich" are said to hold much sway. The "gnomes" made their first splash in the gold market when they convinced South Africa that Swiss bankers would be a better market for its gold than the London variety. Russian gold business quickly followed the South African lead. Noted gold authority Timothy Green once said that, "Gold is as much a part of Switzerland as the Alps and skiing." The Swiss 20 Franc Helvetia is referred to informally as the "Vreneli" derived from "Verena" which is Switzerland's equivalent to the Unites States' Lady Liberty. Modeled by Francoise Engli, this female visage appears on the obverse of...

Gold British Sovereign coins (kings) Minted 1902 - 1925 Fineness: .917 Actual Gold Content: .2354 troy ounce The first British Sovereign was minted under Tudor King Henry VII in 1489. It gets its name from that first mintage which depicts the monarch seated majestically on the throne facing outward. The current design type with St. George slaying a dragon on the reverse and the monarch on the front was introduced nearly 200 years ago in 1816 under George III. The sovereign was minted almost continuously from that date until 1932 when Britain went off the gold standard. British sovereign 'kings' minted during the reigns of Edward VII and George V are probably the most widely owned and recognized pre-1933 gold coins -- so much so that the U.S. Army included them as part of its special forces survival pack for a number of years. Edward VII was the eldest son of Queen Victoria, and ruled Britain from 1901-1910. Queen Victoria insisted on an incredibly strict regimen for Edward, whi...

South African Krugerrands -- gold bullion coins Fineness: .9167 Actual Gold Content: 1.0 troy ounce (31.103 grams) Diameter: 34 mm (also minted in 1/2, 1/4, 1/10 ounce sizes) Introduced in 1970, the South African Krugerrand, often misspelled as krugerand or kruggerand, was the first legal tender gold bullion coin to gain worldwide use in the modern era. To this day, many gold owners equate gold ownership with Krugerrand ownership. The Krugerrand received its first competition from the Canadian Maple Leaf, introduced in 1979. Eventually the Maple Leaf supplanted the Krugerrand as the world's top seller, gaining a significant market share as a one-ounce pure gold coin (.9999 fineness). In 1984 the U.S. Congress banned the import of the Krugerrand as part of the economic sanctions imposed on South Africa. The premium dropped to slightly-above the spot gold price and has never completely recovered. -- From The ABCs of Gold Investing Featured on the coin's obverse (and lending his...

Coins Of Pakistan Pakistan was a part of undivided India earlier in the last century. There were partition riots all over India and Pakistan that developed hatred ness among both these country men. However it is the politicians and some particular society that intended to make profit out of developing this hatred ness even among the second and third generations. Generally a brotherly affection prevails among many Pakistanis and some Indians. The Pakistanis outnumber Indians in love and care and also they outnumber Indians in terrorist groups. These terrorist groups operate in a systematic manner. Coins Of Pakistan

Coins Of Mughal Period Technically, the Mughal period in India commenced in 1526 AD when Babur defeated Ibrahim Lodhi, the Sultan of Delhi and ended in 1857 AD when the British deposed and exiled Bahadur Shah Zafar, the last Mughal Emperor after the great uprising. The later emperors after Shah Alam II were little more than figureheads. The most significant monetary contribution of the Mughals was to bring about uniformity and consolidation of the system of coinage throughout the Empire. The system lasted long after the Mughal Empire was effectively no more. The system of tri-metalism which came to characterise Mughal coinage was largely the creation, not of the Mughals but of Sher Shah Suri (1540 to 1545 AD), an Afghan, who ruled for a brief time in Delhi. Sher Shah issued a coin of silver which was termed the Rupiya. This weighed 178 grains and was the precursor of the modern rupee. It remained largely unchanged till the early 20th Century. Together with the silver Rupiya w...

Coins Of Japan The currency for Japan is yen. Coins are available in denominations of 1, 5, 10, 50, 100 and 500 yen with paper currency in denomination of 1,000, 2,000, 5,000 and 10,000 yen. Make sure to check the exchange rates before you head out on your Japan vacation to make sure you bring enough cash for your trip. Coins Of Japan