DISCOVER
What is Numismatics?
Numismatics is the collection and study of money; which include coins, paper money or banknotes, tokens and related objects.
Numismatists are people who study and/or collect such objects.
Like most English words, the word numismatic originated from the Greek word nomizein, which means “use currently” and it was adapted by the French in the form of “numismatique”, eventually finding its way into the English dictionary in early 1800s.
Coin collecting may have started as early as they were first minted some 3,000 years ago in what is today’s Turkey. This hobby expanded to include paper money when it was first used in China and later spread throughout the world.
To the numismatist, to collect something is to own a piece of history because these artifacts are closely tied to the events at the time. The design of money is influenced by the government of the time, the available technology and often reflects the nation’s daily life, its culture or even its aspirations. More often than not, it also marks the change of a king, dynasty, governments or empires.
The “strength” of a currency is a measure of the power and influence of a nation in the world stage at the time; by strength we mean its value vis-a-vis other currencies and how widely it was used and accepted at the time. As with any nation or empire, its currency rises and falls with it. They tell a unique and interesting story – from the Malay Sultans to Portuguese who took Malacca, to the Dutch, then the British and for a short while, the Japanese during World War II, followed by what we know today as Malaysia. Each era presents a plethora of artifacts to collect and study, not to mention their varieties and many quirks that makes our collecting journey an exciting one!
These are some of the collecting categories for Malaysian numismatics :
By History / Time Periods
- Malaysia (1967 – Present)
- Malacca / Sultanate Coins
- Dutch / Portuguese Coins
- Straits Settlements
- Malaya
- Japanese Invasion Money (World War II)
- Malaya & British Borneo
- British North Borneo
- Sarawak
By Types
- Errors
- World
- Proof / Commemorative Coins
- Fancy Numbers Banknotes
- Proof / Specimen / Uncut Banknotes
Exonumia / Notaphilly / Bibliophilly
- Numismatic Literature – books, catalogues, magazines, journals, auction catalogues, leaflets
- Coupons (Rubber / Petrol / Water)
- Medals
- Tokens
- Shares & Bonds
- Lotteries & Tickets
Besides collecting, there is a technical dimension to numismatics, which include:
- Numismatic Grading & Valuation
- Coin Minting Process
- Banknote Printing Process
- Counterfeit Detection
- Preservation / Conservation
1891H British North Borneo 1 Cent
numimastic
1903B Straits Settlements $1
numimastic
1920H Sarawak 5 Cents
numimastic
1929B British Trade Dollar $1
numimastic
1941 Malaya $5
numimastic
1945 Japanese Invasion Malaya $1,000 Specimen
numimastic
1953 Malaya & British Borneo $5
numimastic
1976 Malaysia Gold 500 Ringgit Malayan Tapir
numimastic
1996 Malaysia RM2
numimastic
Of course, numismatics is not merely confined to areas listed above. As with any growing science and hobby, there are new categories that emerge every now and then.