Portal:Numismatics

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.

Specialists, 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. Many objects have been used for centuries, such as cowry shells, precious metals, cocoa beans, large stones, and gems. (Full article...)

Featured article -

This is a featured article, which represents some of the best content on English Wikipedia..

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  The Indian Head cent, also known as an Indian Head penny, was a one-cent coin ($0.01) produced by the United States Bureau of the Mint from 1859 to 1909. It was designed by James Barton Longacre, the Chief Engraver at the Philadelphia Mint.
  
  From 1793 to 1857, the cent was a copper coin about the size of a half dollar. The discovery of gold in California caused a large inflation in prices. As gold became more abundant, the price of copper rose. Cent and half-cent manufacture was one of the only profit centers for the Mint and by 1850 it began looking for alternatives. In 1857, the Mint reduced the size of the cent and changed the composition to 12% nickel and 88% copper (copper-nickel), issuing a new design, the Flying Eagle cent. The new pieces were identical in diameter to modern cents, though thicker. This was the first use of copper-nickel for United States coins. The copper-nickel made them look brighter and they began to be called "White cent" or "Nicks". (Full article...)
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  The obverse of a Susan B. Anthony dollar

  
  The Susan B. Anthony dollar is a United States dollar coin minted from 1979 to 1981 when production was suspended due to poor public acceptance, and then again in 1999. Intended as a replacement for the larger Eisenhower dollar, the new smaller one-dollar coin went through testing of several shapes and compositions, but all were opposed by the vending machine industry, a powerful lobby affecting coin legislation. Finally, a round planchet with an eleven-sided inner border was chosen for the smaller dollar.
  
  The original design for the smaller dollar coin depicted an allegorical representation of Liberty on the obverse, but organizations and individuals in Congress called for the coin to depict a real woman. Several proposals were submitted, and social reformer Susan B. Anthony was selected as the design subject. The reverse design of the Eisenhower dollar was retained, an engraving of the Apollo 11 mission insignia showing an eagle landing on the Moon. Both sides of the coin, as well as the rejected Liberty design, were created by Frank Gasparro, the Chief Engraver of the United States Mint. (Full article...)
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  The Franklin half dollar is a coin that was struck by the United States Mint from 1948 to 1963. The fifty-cent piece pictures Founding Father Benjamin Franklin on the obverse and the Liberty Bell on the reverse. A small eagle was placed to the right of the bell to fulfill the legal requirement that half dollars depict the figure of an eagle. Produced in 90 percent silver with a reeded edge, the coin was struck at the Philadelphia, Denver, and San Francisco mints.
  
  Mint director Nellie Tayloe Ross had long admired Franklin, and wanted him to be depicted on a coin. In 1947, she instructed her chief engraver, John R. Sinnock, to prepare designs for a Franklin half dollar. Sinnock's designs were based on his earlier work, but he died before their completion. The designs were completed by Sinnock's successor, Gilroy Roberts. The Mint submitted the new designs to the Commission of Fine Arts ("Commission") for its advisory opinion. The Commission disliked the small eagle and felt that depicting the crack in the Liberty Bell would expose the coinage to jokes and ridicule. Despite the Commission's disapproval, the Mint proceeded with Sinnock's designs. (Full article...)
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  The American twenty-cent piece is a coin struck from 1875 to 1878, but only for collectors in the final two years. Proposed by Nevada Senator John P. Jones, it proved a failure due to confusion with the quarter, to which it was close in both size and value.
  
  In 1874, the newly elected Jones began pressing for a twenty-cent piece, which he stated would alleviate the shortage of small change in the Far West. The bill passed Congress, and Mint Director Henry Linderman ordered pattern coins struck. Linderman eventually decided on an obverse and reverse similar to that of other silver coins. (Full article...)
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  The copper-nickel three-cent piece, often called a three-cent nickel piece or three-cent nickel, was designed by US Mint Chief Engraver James B. Longacre and struck by the United States Bureau of the Mint from 1865 to 1889. It was initially popular, but its place in commerce was supplanted by the five-cent piece, or nickel.
  
  With precious metal federal coinage hoarded during the economic turmoil of the American Civil War, including the silver three-cent piece, and even the copper-nickel cent commanding a premium, Congress issued paper money in denominations as small as three cents to replace the hoarded coins in commerce. These small slips of paper became ragged and dirty, and the public came to hate "shinplasters". After the issuance in 1864 of a lighter bronze cent and a two-cent piece of that metal, both of which circulated freely, there were proposals for a three-cent piece in copper-nickel to replace the three-cent note. The advocates were led by Pennsylvania industrialist Joseph Wharton, who then controlled the domestic supply of nickel ore. On the last legislative day of the congressional session, March 3, 1865, a bill for a three-cent piece in copper-nickel alloy was introduced in Congress, passed both houses without debate, and was signed by President Abraham Lincoln. (Full article...)
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  The British florin, or two-shilling piece (2/– or 2s.), was a coin worth 1⁄10 of one pound, or 24 pence. It was issued from 1849 until 1967, with a final issue for collectors dated 1970. It was the last coin circulating immediately prior to decimalisation to be demonetised, in 1993, having for a quarter of a century circulated alongside the ten-pence piece, identical in specifications and value.
  
  The florin was introduced as part of an experiment in decimalisation that went no further at the time. The original florins, dated 1849, attracted controversy for omitting a reference to God from Queen Victoria's titles; that type is accordingly known as the "Godless florin", and was in 1851 succeeded by the "Gothic florin", for its design and style of lettering. Throughout most of its existence, the florin bore some variation of either the shields of the United Kingdom, or the emblems of its constituent nations on the reverse, a tradition broken between 1902 and 1910, when the coin featured a windswept figure of a standing Britannia. (Full article...)
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  The Columbia, South Carolina, Sesquicentennial half dollar was a commemorative fifty-cent piece struck by the United States Bureau of the Mint. Designed by Abraham Wolfe Davidson and minted in 1936, it marks the 150th anniversary of the designation of Columbia as South Carolina's state capital.
  
  The obverse design depicts Lady Justice holding a sword and scales, standing between South Carolina's Old State House, built in 1790, and the New State House, completed in 1903. The reverse shows the palmetto tree, South Carolina's state symbol, surrounded by 13 stars representing the original Thirteen Colonies, though they may also be intended to represent the Confederate States. (Full article...)
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  The Kennedy half dollar, first minted in 1964, is a fifty-cent coin issued by the United States Mint. Intended as a memorial to the assassinated 35th president of the United States John F. Kennedy, it was authorized by Congress just over a month after his death. Use of existing works by Mint sculptors Gilroy Roberts and Frank Gasparro allowed dies to be prepared quickly, and striking of the new coins began in January 1964.
  
  The silver coins were hoarded upon their release in March 1964 by collectors and those interested in a memento of the late president. Although the Mint greatly increased production, the denomination was seldom seen in circulation. Continued rises in the price of silver increased the hoarding—many early Kennedy half dollars have been melted for their silver content. Starting with 1965-dated coins, the percentage of fine silver was reduced from 90% to 40% (silver clad), but even with this change the coin saw little circulation. (Full article...)
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  The penny of Great Britain and the United Kingdom from 1714 to 1901, the period in which the House of Hanover reigned, saw the transformation of the penny from a little-used small silver coin to the bronze piece recognisable to modern-day Britons. All bear the portrait of the monarch on the obverse; copper and bronze pennies have a depiction of Britannia, the female personification of Britain, on the reverse.
  
  During most of the 18th century, the penny was a small silver coin rarely seen in circulation, and that was principally struck to be used for Maundy money or other royal charity. Beginning in 1787, the chronic shortage of good money resulted in the wide circulation of private tokens, including large coppers valued at one penny. In 1797 industrialist Matthew Boulton gained a contract to produce official pennies at his Soho Mint in Birmingham; he struck millions of pennies over the next decade. After that, it was not until 1825 that pennies were struck again for circulation, and the copper penny continued to be issued until 1860. (Full article...)
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  The Missouri Centennial half dollar is a commemorative fifty-cent piece struck by the United States Mint in 1921. It was designed by Robert Ingersoll Aitken. The US state of Missouri wanted a commemorative coin to mark its centennial that year. Legislation for such a coin passed through Congress without opposition and was signed by President Warren G. Harding on his inauguration day, March 4, 1921. The federal Commission of Fine Arts hired Aitken to design the coin, which depicted Daniel Boone on both sides. The reverse design, showing Boone with a Native American, has been interpreted as symbolizing the displacement of the Indians by white settlers.
  
  To increase sales, a portion of the issue was produced with the mark 2★4, symbolic of Missouri being the 24th state. Although admired for the design, the coins did not sell as well as hoped, and almost 60 percent were returned to the Philadelphia Mint for melting. There are fewer coins with 2★4 than without, but they remain near-equal in value. (Full article...)
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  The Hudson, New York, Sesquicentennial half dollar, sometimes called the Hudson Sesquicentennial half dollar, is a commemorative fifty-cent piece struck by the United States Bureau of the Mint in 1935. The coin was designed by Chester Beach. Its obverse depicts the Half Moon, flagship of Henry Hudson, after whom the city of Hudson, New York is named. In addition to showing the ship, the coin displays a version of the Hudson city seal, with Neptune riding a whale, a design that has drawn commentary over the years.
  
  Although the city of Hudson was a relatively small municipality, legislation to issue a coin in honor of its 150th anniversary went through Congress without opposition and was signed by President Franklin D. Roosevelt, becoming the Act of May 2, 1935. In June 1935, 10,000 Hudson half dollars were distributed to civic authorities for sale to the public. (Full article...)
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  The Eisenhower dollar is a one-dollar coin issued by the United States Mint from 1971 to 1978; it was the first coin of that denomination issued by the Mint since the Peace dollar series ended in 1935. The coin depicts President Dwight D. Eisenhower on the obverse, and a stylized image honoring the 1969 Apollo 11 Moon mission on the reverse. Both sides were designed by Frank Gasparro, with the reverse based on the mission patch designed by astronaut Michael Collins. It is the only large-size U.S. dollar coin whose circulation strikes contained no silver.
  
  In 1965, because of rises in bullion prices, the Mint began to strike copper-nickel clad coins instead of silver. No dollar coins had been issued for thirty years, but, beginning in 1969, legislators sought to reintroduce a dollar coin into commerce. After Eisenhower died that March, there were a number of proposals to honor him with the new coin. While these bills generally commanded wide support, enactment was delayed by a dispute over whether the new dollar coin should be in base metal or 40% silver. In 1970, a compromise was reached to strike the Eisenhower dollar in base metal for circulation, and in 40% silver as a collectible. On December 31, 1970, President Richard Nixon, who had served as vice president under Eisenhower, signed legislation authorizing mintage of the new coin. (Full article...)
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  The Norfolk, Virginia, Bicentennial half dollar is a half dollar commemorative coin struck by the United States Bureau of the Mint in 1937, though it bears the date 1936. The coin commemorates the 200th anniversary of Norfolk being designated as a royal borough, and the 100th anniversary of it becoming a city. It was designed by spouses William Marks Simpson and Marjory Emory Simpson.
  
  Virginia Senator Carter Glass sought legislation for a Norfolk half dollar, but the bill was amended in committee to provide for commemorative medals instead. Unaware of the change, Glass and the bill's sponsor in the House of Representatives, Absalom W. Robertson, shepherded the legislation through Congress. Local authorities in Norfolk did not want medals, and sought an amendment, which passed Congress in June 1937. (Full article...)
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  The Cincinnati Musical Center half dollar or Cincinnati Music Center half dollar is a commemorative 50-cent piece struck by the United States Bureau of the Mint in 1936. Produced with the stated purpose of commemorating the fiftieth anniversary of Cincinnati, Ohio, as a center of music, it was conceived by Thomas G. Melish, a coin enthusiast who controlled the group which was allowed to buy the entire issue from the government, and who resold the pieces at high prices.
  
  Congress approved legislation for the coin on March 31, 1936, authorizing 15,000 pieces to be struck at the three mints then in operation. Melish had hired sculptor Constance Ortmayer to design the coin, but the Commission of Fine Arts refused to recommend the designs. Members objected to the depiction of Stephen Foster on the obverse, finding no connection between Foster, who died in 1864, and the supposed anniversary. Nevertheless, the designs were approved by the Bureau of the Mint, and 5,000 sets from the three mints were issued and sold to Melish's group, the only authorized purchaser. (Full article...)
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  The three-dollar piece was a gold coin produced by the United States Bureau of the Mint from 1854 to 1889. Authorized by the Act of February 21, 1853, the coin was designed by Mint Chief Engraver James B. Longacre. The obverse bears a representation of Lady Liberty wearing a headdress of a Native American princess and the reverse a wreath of corn, wheat, cotton, and tobacco.
  
  In 1851, Congress had authorized a silver three-cent piece so that postage stamps of that value could be purchased without using the widely disliked copper cents. Two years later, a bill was passed which authorized a three-dollar coin. By some accounts, the coin was created so larger quantities of stamps could be purchased. Longacre, in designing the piece, sought to make it as different as possible from the quarter eagle or $2.50 piece, striking it on a thinner planchet and using a distinctive design. (Full article...)

Selected article -

The Coin Collector's Survival Manual is a coin collecting and investing reference book authored by Scott A. Travers that was first published by Arco, a Prentice-Hall imprint, in July 1984 simultaneously in hardcover and paper editions. Its then 22-year-old author bluntly detailed the coin industry's perils and pitfalls in buying, selling and storing valuable coins based on his experiences as a dealer. The book has since been updated and published in multiple editions.

In 1988, when its second edition was published by Prentice Hall Trade, a division of Simon & Schuster, it was considered an important part of the coin literature. The third (1994); revised third (1996); fourth (2000); and revised fourth (2003) editions

were published by Bonus Books of Chicago. (Full article...)

Selected image

Credit: commons:User:Roger McLassus.
A 1 Hungarian pengő coin, made of aluminium, floating on water, demonstrating its surface tension.

Did you know...

Reverse, Newfounland two dollars

• ...that with its two-dollar coin (reverse pictured), Newfoundland was the only British colony to issue circulating gold coinage?
• ...that Mount Burgess is nicknamed the Ten Dollar Mountain because it was featured on Canadian currency?
• ...that the American Buffalo gold bullion coin was the first .9999 fine 24-carat gold coin released by the United States Mint?
• ...that the Alabama centennial half dollar was the first commemorative coin minted with the image of a living individual?
• ...that Aksumite currency was the only native coinage to be issued in Africa without direct influence by an outside culture like Roman, Greek, etc...?

Related portals

Selected coin -

The Mercury dime is a ten-cent coin struck by the United States Mint from late 1916 to 1945. Designed by Adolph Weinman and also referred to as the Winged Liberty Head dime, it gained its common name because the obverse depiction of a young Liberty, identifiable by her winged Phrygian cap, was confused with the Roman god Mercury. Weinman is believed to have used Elsie Stevens, the wife of lawyer and poet Wallace Stevens, as a model. The coin's reverse depicts a fasces, symbolizing unity and strength, and an olive branch, signifying peace.

By 1916, the dime, quarter, and half dollar designed by Mint Chief Engraver Charles E. Barber had been struck for 25 years, and could be replaced by the Treasury, of which the Mint is a part, without Congressional authorization. Mint officials were under the misapprehension that the designs had to be changed, and held a competition among three sculptors, in which Barber, who had been in his position for 36 years, also took part. Weinman's designs for the dime and half dollar were selected. (Full article...)

Selected banknote image -

Credit: commons:User:Schutz.
A 1000 Swiss franc note, the fourth highest non-commemorative banknote in the world.

General images -

The following are images from various numismatics-related articles on Wikipedia.

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  Shredded and briquetted US dollar notes from the Federal Reserve Bank of New York (approx. 1000 pieces, 1 kg) (from Banknote)
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  An American Silver Eagle minted in 2019 (left), an example of a Bullion coin. Its obverse design is based on the older, formerly circulating silver Walking Liberty half dollar (right). (from Coin)
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  Fed Shreds as souvenir from the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco (from Banknote)
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  A siglos found in the Kabul valley, 5th century BC. Coins of this type were also found in the Bhir Mound hoard. (from Coin)
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  Hoard of mostly Mauryan Empire coins, 3rd century BC (from Coin)
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  When Brazil changed currencies in 1989, the 1000, 5000, and 10,000 cruzados banknotes were overstamped and issued as 1, 5, and 10 cruzados novos banknotes for several months before cruzado novo banknotes were printed and issued. Banknotes can be overstamped with new denominations, typically when a country converts to a new currency at an even, fixed exchange rate (in this case, 1000:1). (from Banknote)
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  1884 United States trade dollar (from Coin)
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  An oxhide ingot from Crete. Late Bronze Age metal ingots were given standard shapes, such as the shape of an "ox-hide", suggesting that they represented standardized values. (from Coin)
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  A 7th century one-third stater coin from Lydia, shown larger (from History of money)
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  Shredded and briquetted euro banknotes from the Deutsche Bundesbank, Germany (approx. 1 kg) (from Banknote)
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  Early punch-marked coins of Gandhara, Taxila-Gandhara region. (from Coin)
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  3 Rubles proof coin of Russia, minted in 2008 (from Coin)
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  A Swiss ten-cent coin from 1879, similar to the oldest coins still in official use today (from Coin)
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  Song dynasty Jiaozi, the world's earliest paper money. (from Banknote)
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  Five million mark coin (Weimar Republic, 1923). Despite its high denomination, this coin's monetary value dropped to a tiny fraction of a US cent by the end of 1923, substantially less than the value of its metallic content. (from Coin)
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  Collage for banknote design with annotations and additions to show proposed changes (figure rather higher so as to allow room for the No.), Bank of Manchester, UK, 1833. On display at the British Museum in London (from Banknote)
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  Many currencies, such as the Indonesian rupiah, vary the sizes of their banknotes by denomination. This is done so that they may be told apart through touch alone. (from Banknote)
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  Fifty-five-dollar bill in Continental currency; leaf design by Benjamin Franklin, 1779 (from Banknote)
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  Silver stater of Aegina, 550–530 BC. Obv. Sea turtle with large pellets down centre. Rev. incuse square punch with eight sections. (from Coin)
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  Coins can be stacked. (from Coin)
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  The French East India Company issued rupees in the name of Muhammad Shah (1719–1748) for Northern India trade. This was cast in Pondicherry. (from History of money)
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  Song dynasty Jiaozi, the world's earliest paper money (from Currency)
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  A $5 note issued by Citizens Bank of Louisiana in the 1850s. (from Banknote)
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  Shredded and briquetted US dollar notes from the Federal Reserve Bank of New York (approx. 1000 pieces, 1 kg) (from Banknote)
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  Silver coin of the Maurya Empire, known as rūpyarūpa, with symbols of wheel and elephant. 3rd century BC (from History of money)
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  Greek drachm of Aegina. Obverse: Land turtle. Reverse: ΑΙΓ(INA) and dolphin (from History of money)
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  Banknotes with a face value of ten in the United States dollar, pound sterling as issued by the Bank of England, and euro. (from Banknote)
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  Alexander the Great Tetradrachm from the Temnos Mint, c. 188–170 BC (from Coin)
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  Name of currency units by country, in Portuguese (from Currency)
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  Chinese round coins, Eastern Zhou dynasty – Warring States Period, c. 300–220 BC. Four Hua (四化, 30mm, 6.94 g). Legend Yi Si Hua ([City of] Yi Four Hua). (from Coin)
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  A silver coin made during the reign of the Mughal Emperor Alamgir II (1754-1759) (from Coin)
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  The world's oldest coin, created in the ancient Kingdom of Lydia (from Currency)
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  Posthumous Alexander the Great tetradrachm from Temnos, Aeolis. Dated 188–170 BC. Obverse: Alexander the Great as Herakles facing right wearing the nemean lionskin. Reverse: Zeus seated on throne to the left holding eagle in right hand and scepter in left; in left field PA monogram and angular sigma above grape vine arching over oinochoe; ALEXANDROU vertical in right field. Reference: Price 1678. (from Coin)
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  The earliest inscribed coinage: electrum coin of Phanes from Ephesus, 625–600 BC. Obverse: Stag grazing right, ΦΑΝΕΩΣ (retrograde). Reverse: Two incuse punches, each with raised intersecting lines. (from Coin)
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  Cowry shells being used as money by an Arab trader (from Currency)
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  Russian American Company-issued Alaskan parchment scrip (c. 1852) (from Banknote)
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  A 2000 Romanian lei polymer banknote (from Banknote)
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  The taka was widely used across South Asia during the sultanate period. (from History of money)
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  Bimetallic Egyptian one pound coin featuring King Tutankhamen (from Coin)
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  Coin of Alyattes of Lydia, c. 620/10–564/53 BC (from Coin)
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  100 USD banknote (from History of money)
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  A 5 euro note so badly damaged it has been torn in half. The note has later been repaired with tape. (from Banknote)
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  Earliest banknote from China during the Song Dynasty which is known as "Jiaozi" (from History of money)
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  Gandharan "bent-bar" punch-marked coin minted under Achaemenid administration, of the type found in large quantities in the Chaman Hazouri and the Bhir Mound hoards. (from Coin)
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  Athenian coin (c. 500/490–485 BC) discovered in the Shaikhan Dehri hoard in Pushkalavati, Ancient India. This coin is the earliest known example of its type to be found so far east. (from Coin)
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  The Achaemenid Empire Satraps and Dynasts in Asia Minor developed the usage of portraiture from c. 420 BC. Portrait of the Satrap of Lydia, Tissaphernes (c. 445–395 BC). (from Coin)
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  The sealing of the Bank of England Charter (1694). The bank began the first permanent issue of banknotes a year later. (from Banknote)
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  The first paper money in Europe, issued by the Stockholms Banco in 1666. (from Banknote)
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  A Yuan dynasty printing plate and banknote with Chinese words. (from Banknote)
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  French 1992 twenty Franc Tri-Metallic coin (from Coin)
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  Punch-marked coin minted in the Kabul Valley under Achaemenid administration, c. 500–380 BC, or c. 350 BC. (from Coin)
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  Marco Polo described the use of early banknotes in China to Medieval Europe in his book, The Travels of Marco Polo. (from Banknote)
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  Shreds of unfit US dollar notes with a typical size of less than 1.5 mm × 16 mm (from Banknote)
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  Spade money from the Zhou Dynasty, c. 650–400 BC (from History of money)
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  Bielefeld Germany 25 Mark 1921. Silk Banknote. (from Banknote)
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  Holographic coin from Liberia features the Statue of Liberty (Liberty Enlightening the World) (from Coin)
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  Obverse and reverse of an old American $100 note (1928) (from Banknote)
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  The Piloncitos are tiny engraved gold coins found in the Philippines, along with barter rings, which are gold ring-like ingots. These barter rings are bigger than softballs in size and are made of pure gold from the Archaic period (c. 10th to 16th century). (from Coin)

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.

More terminology

WikiProjects

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Numismatic topics

Money - Coins - Banknotes - Electronic money - Exchange rate - Legal tender - Clubs - Terminology

Ancient currency: Asia - Byzantium - Greece - Primitive Money - Roman - Indian coinage

Modern currency: Africa - The Americas - Asia and the Pacific - Europe - Bullion coins - Challenge coin - Commemorative coins - Token coins

Economics: Banking - Bonds - Cheques - Credit Cards - Fiat currency - Gold standard - Mints - Monetary union - Reserve currency - Stocks

Production: Coining (machining) - Designers - Die making - Mint (coin) • Coinage Metals: Aluminum - Bronze - Copper - Gold - Platinum - Silver - Tin

Exonumia - Notaphily - Scripophily

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List articles

See also: Category:Currency lists

Central banks • Currencies • Circulating currencies • Historical currencies • US community currencies • Canadian community currencies • Mints • Motifs on banknotes • Most expensive coins

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Most traded currencies

Most traded currencies by value
Currency distribution of global foreign exchange market turnover

Rank	Currency	ISO 4217 code	Symbol or abbreviation	Proportion of daily volume		Change (2019–2022)
				April 2019	April 2022
1	U.S. dollar	USD	US$	88.3%	88.5%	0.2pp
2	Euro	EUR	€	32.3%	30.5%	1.8pp
3	Japanese yen	JPY	¥ / 円	16.8%	16.7%	0.1pp
4	Sterling	GBP	£	12.8%	12.9%	0.1pp
5	Renminbi	CNY	¥ / 元	4.3%	7.0%	2.7pp
6	Australian dollar	AUD	A$	6.8%	6.4%	0.4pp
7	Canadian dollar	CAD	C$	5.0%	6.2%	1.2pp
8	Swiss franc	CHF	CHF	4.9%	5.2%	0.3pp
9	Hong Kong dollar	HKD	HK$	3.5%	2.6%	0.9pp
10	Singapore dollar	SGD	S$	1.8%	2.4%	0.6pp
11	Swedish krona	SEK	kr	2.0%	2.2%	0.2pp
12	South Korean won	KRW	₩ / 원	2.0%	1.9%	0.1pp
13	Norwegian krone	NOK	kr	1.8%	1.7%	0.1pp
14	New Zealand dollar	NZD	NZ$	2.1%	1.7%	0.4pp
15	Indian rupee	INR	₹	1.7%	1.6%	0.1pp
16	Mexican peso	MXN	MX$	1.7%	1.5%	0.2pp
17	New Taiwan dollar	TWD	NT$	0.9%	1.1%	0.2pp
18	South African rand	ZAR	R	1.1%	1.0%	0.1pp
19	Brazilian real	BRL	R$	1.1%	0.9%	0.2pp
20	Danish krone	DKK	kr	0.6%	0.7%	0.1pp
21	Polish złoty	PLN	zł	0.6%	0.7%	0.1pp
22	Thai baht	THB	฿	0.5%	0.4%	0.1pp
23	Israeli new shekel	ILS	₪	0.3%	0.4%	0.1pp
24	Indonesian rupiah	IDR	Rp	0.4%	0.4%
25	Czech koruna	CZK	Kč	0.4%	0.4%
26	UAE dirham	AED	د.إ	0.2%	0.4%	0.2pp
27	Turkish lira	TRY	₺	1.1%	0.4%	0.7pp
28	Hungarian forint	HUF	Ft	0.4%	0.3%	0.1pp
29	Chilean peso	CLP	CLP$	0.3%	0.3%
30	Saudi riyal	SAR	﷼	0.2%	0.2%
31	Philippine peso	PHP	₱	0.3%	0.2%	0.1pp
32	Malaysian ringgit	MYR	RM	0.2%	0.2%
33	Colombian peso	COP	COL$	0.2%	0.2%
34	Russian ruble	RUB	₽	1.1%	0.2%	0.9pp
35	Romanian leu	RON	L	0.1%	0.1%
36	Peruvian sol	PEN	S/	0.1%	0.1%
37	Bahraini dinar	BHD	.د.ب	0.0%	0.0%
38	Bulgarian lev	BGN	BGN	0.0%	0.0%
39	Argentine peso	ARS	ARG$	0.1%	0.0%	0.1pp
…	Other			1.8%	2.3%	0.5pp
Total				200.0%	200.0%

Web resources

• NumisWiki
• International Association of Professional Numismatists
• American Numismatic Association
• American Numismatic Society
• British Numismatic Association
• American Vecturist Association
• Challenge Coin Association
• Numismatic Museum of Athens, Greece

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• The Perth Mint Australia
• Central Mint of China
• Royal Mint
• The French Mint
• United States Mint
• Bank of Russia
• Royal Canadian Mint
• Exact Change numismatic software

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• European Central Bank
• World Bank
• US Federal Reserve

Things you can do

Here are some tasks awaiting attention: Collaborate : Finish Assessment, Expand and reorganize style guide, New category structure, Infoboxes: designing and adding to pages, 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... Featured article candidates : Peace Dollar, more... Merge : more... Stubs : Brockage, Cistophorus, Coinage Act of 1849, Zuz (Jewish coin), Polish Mint, more... Wikify : 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... Others : Requested Images: English coin Three Farthings, Commemorative coins of Poland, more... Improve to GA: History of money, Numismatics, Roman currency, Money, Ancient Greek coinage, Fiat currency, United States Mint, Canadian Silver Maple Leaf, Banknotes of Zimbabwe, more...

Associated Wikimedia

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  Free-content library

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  Free learning tools

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  Wiktionary
  Dictionary and thesaurus

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