COINS

When the productive activities diversify, the work specializes and generates surplus, we can say that we have the ideal conditions for exchanging products.

Bartering lasted a long time, but when commercial activities became bigger, it wasn’t useful any more, so precious metals started to be used. They were accepted by different countries, easily carried and long-lasting

TRADE WAS BORN

BARTERING WAS BORN

THE ORIGIN OF COINS

According to Herodotus, metal coins were first used in Lydia in VIII B.C. Originally “drops of metal” of electrum from river Pactolus. This happened because a Lydian king wanted to simplify tax collection and storage.

King Croesus was the first in having gold and silver coins and in adding pictures of his kingdom. The lion was the symbol of the Lydian Royal house.

Grain of electrum 725 B.C.

Croeseid 558- 546 B.C.

THE ORIGINS OF COINS : GREECE

The Greeks spread the use of coin around the Mediterranean Sea between the VII and VI B.C .

Coins were minted in temples and each polis had its own iconography. Soon the minted symbols (religious, foundational, economical) served as promotion of the poleis

Silver Athenian Tetradrachma

Ancient Greek coins had ears of wheat and the first Roman ones had heads of cattle. These patterns had been symbols of wealth during many centuries and these engravings connected coins with the idea of the value of the things that were represented in them.This way people could easily understand the new monetary system.

Coin of Ephesus,

Artemis polis

COINS IN ANCIENT TIMES: IBERIAN PENINSULA

The main inhabitants of the Iberian Peninsula were Tartessians, Celts, Iberians, Phoenicians, Greek, Carthaginians... Then the Romans arrived in the year 218 B.C. and Romanisation started.

The first coins in the Iberian Peninsula came up after colonisation. Emporium and Rhode minted silver drachmas locally from the V century B. C.

Drachma minted in Emporium

Hispano -Carthaginian coin

COINS IN HISPANIA

Coins in the Iberian Peninsula appeared as a result of colonisation.Mints of the Roman Hispania coined bronze “sestertius” between the age of Augustus and Caligula.

Inscription: Hispanorum. Coin of the Greek city of Morgantina, Sicily, minted by Hispanic mercenaries who received the government of this city from the Romans in the II century B.C.

Coins had arrived to Rome between the IV-III B.C. and “denarius” was the Roman coin par excellence.

Adriano’s aureus minted in Rome with an allegory of Hispania

AL-ÁNDALUS COINS 711 - 1492

Gold Dinar Silver Dirham Cupper Felu

Maravedi of Isabel II period

Dinar was called Maravedí. It was used in Spain during eight centuries. Its name comes from a muslin word “morabitis”, devouts of god, description used for the almoravids. (Berber dynasty of Morocco who formed an empire in the 11th century that stretched over the western Maghreb and Al -Andalus)

THE CATHOLIC MONARCHS

The catholic monarchs standardized coins in 1497:

• Gold “Excelente”

• Silver real (royal )

• White of “vellón”

50 golden “excelentes” only

Unique coin in the world Weight: 176 gr

Minted in Seville .

THE DOUBLOON

XV - XIX CENTURY

Spain Mexico Peru New Grenade

Originally called that way because it was equivalent to two golden “Excelentes” but afterwards it named all the golden coins of the Spanish Empire.Minted in other countries, it was used as the model for other European golden coins.

THE PESETA

Spanish currency unit since 19th October, 1868 until 1st January, 1999.

THE EURO

Official coin in most countries of the European Union. The name was agreed on 16th December 1995 and the Euro became the official coin in 1999. After a short period of coexistence, the Euro has been our official coin from 2002.