What structural elements does a coin consist of? Hurt - what is it? And what is a bead? What types of herds exist in numismatics? You will find answers to all these questions in our article.
Coin and its components
Everyone almost daily deals with paper notes and coins. But how often do you carefully review and study the contents of your wallet? But numismatists turned this lesson into the meaning of life. And they can be understood! After all, any coin, despite its tiny size, contains so many interesting things!
The word "coin" comes from Latin. This is the oldest means of payment, having a certain shape (most often - round), weight and dignity. Coins are usually made of metal (nickel, bronze, aluminum, etc.). But there are exceptions. Any coin consists of four structural elements:
- Obverse - front side (it shows the nationality of the banknote).
- Reverse - the reverse side (the face value is shown here).
- Edge is the side surface of a coin.
- Edging (edge or shoulder) - a raised edge that protects the pattern from premature wear.
Coins contain a huge amount of information. Most often this is the state emblem, a portrait of the ruler (monarch), the name of the country and the bank, the denomination, as well as a thematic drawing.
Herd is ...
Now let's take a closer look at what constitutes a herd. The word of this, by the way, has another meaning. So, according to the explanatory dictionary of Vladimir Dahl, a herd is a herd of cattle (sheep, goats, cows or birds), which lead to slaughter or for sale. From it came the verb "to purge" - to drive cattle in one heap.
A coin rim is, in simple words, its side edge. The term comes from the German word Gurt, which translates as "belt".
The coin rim can be smooth or corrugated, decorated or unformed. Quite often, it contains an ornament, some inscriptions or notes. Experienced collectors are familiar with one rule: if the obverse and reverse of two identical coins are absolutely identical, and the edges are different, then this may mean that one of the banknotes can cost much more than the other.
By the way, professional numismatists always pick up a coin solely for their edges, so as not to leave their prints on its flat surfaces.
A small digression into history
The edge of the coin appeared for a reason. The minters invented it for two purposes: firstly, to protect the product from damage (trimming or sawing), and secondly, to protect money from counterfeiters (faking the edge is a very time-consuming process).
All herds were smooth at first. Only at the dawn of the 16th century in Western Europe did they design a special machine for applying various patterns and ornaments to this element. Fifty years later, the French learned to inscribe it.
Today, there are two main ways to make a edge:
- on a gurtilny machine;
- using the so-called coinage in the ring.
What were the herds of Tsarist Russian rubles? Initially, they took the form of an oblique notch. From the end of the 18th century, they began to designate a metal sample, and since 1810, the weight of the coin. An interesting feature: until the beginning of the XIX century, all letters and numbers on the herds of coins of the Russian Empire were convex, and later - already depressed.
Herd Types
There are eight main types of coin herds:
- smooth;
- corrugated (see photo below);
- intermittently corrugated;
- mesh;
- with an inscription;
- with lacing (slanting strokes);
- with a continuous longitudinal cut;
- with ornament (usually floral).
Smooth edge is the most common type on coins of low denomination. Corrugated, intermittently corrugated, as well as variants with inscriptions are less common. The remaining types of the element under consideration are even more difficult to find on coins.