Coins have been used to purchase goods since at least 600 BC in the West.
Copper coins have been found in China dating all the way back to the 11th century BC.
From basic beaten and cast shapes, coins have evolved as new minting technologies have been invented.
When exchanging items for their worth in silver or gold became too difficult due to dishonest people, standardized coins were created.
Knowing that a given coin was worth a certain amount made it much easier for merchants and purchasers to know they got their money's worth.
It didn't take long for coins to become mainstream.
Early coins in Lydia (now Turkey) were made of electrum, which is a mixture of gold and silver that occurs naturally.
This combination was alloyed with silver and copper.
Later coins were often made of precious metals like gold, silver and copper.
As the Persian Empire conquered the region, coins became the standard for their monetary system.
Chinese coins were made of bronze.
Coins were introduced after the barter system ceased to be a fair system.
Chinese coins were commonly made with a hole in the center so they could be strung together on a cord to be carried easily.
In Greece, early coins were imprinted with a sea turtle.
These silver coins were called a drachm, which literally means "handful.
" Later, artists were commissioned to design mythical heroes as well as gods and goddesses to adorn their coinage starting in the 5th century BC.
Alexander the Great preferred realistic designs on his coins.
He circulated his coins all through Asia Minor.
In ancient Rome, coins quickly became the preferred monetary system.
It is even said that the Roman Emperor Augustus began collecting coins.
The Romans made so many that coins from that era are easy to find today.
When the Romans invaded Britain, there were already rudimentary coins in use in the British Isles.
These coins were made of copper, silver and gold.
The Romans replaced them with their own coins by 43 AD.
By 430 AD various regional monarchs were minting their own coins across Britain.
Once under a single monarch, British coins were a symbol of the authority of the Crown.
Counterfeiting was severely punished.
By 1350, King Edward III declared counterfeiting to be a treasonous act.
After the United States of America came into being, they did not have an official monetary currency until 1792, when they passed the Coinage Act.
Copper coins were manufactured and the first mint was established in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Coins went through many changes over the centuries.
Some were discontinued like the halfpenny and the farthing.
Some were decimalized to become part of a larger currency issued by the new European Union in the 1990s.
Credit cards and banking made coins less important.
Nevertheless, coins are still playing an important part in preserving the history of civilization.
Coin collectors can trace the history of individual countries easily through their currency.
In current day, coins are also minted to commemorate special events that are collected by numismatists and fans of the events being commemorated.