Twenty Coins from Twenty Centuries: A Retrospective Boxed Coin Collection

The history of coins can be traced back to its beginning in the 7th century B.C. when the first coins were made in Lydia and Ionia, now western Turkey, from electrumCa naturally occurring alloy of gold and silver. These lumps of stamped metal qualified as coins because they were made of a rare material, had a fixed weight and were approved by the authorities of the time. It can be argued that the rapid advance of civilization as we know it could not have been possible without the invention of coins that were an acceptable medium of exchange for the trade of goods and services between far flung groups of people across the globe.   It's hard for most people to avoid an emotional response to handling ancient relics that are hundreds, or even thousands of years old. Owning and collecting coins over the centuries has allowed not only academics and historians, but also ordinary folks to personally own these amazing keys to history. In many cases coins are the only evidence we have of ancient