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Coin collecting goes back over many centuries. It is man's inborn nature to collect something. And coins are one of the most popular collectable objects. The collection of coins, whether by professionals or amateurs, is called Numismatics. This article is a list with the most popular coins made from precious metals. People always collect coins, especially ones which are minted from precious metals like gold, silver and in later years from platinum. The early technology of coin-making was very primitive for many centuries. And many sorts of coins had very varied shapes.

It is well known that the first coins were minted in Lydia (this kingdom was placed in the south western part of modern day Turkey) in about 560 BC. And those coins were made of gold. The first silver coins were coined in Greece, in the state city of Argos in about 700 BC.

The first platinum coins were coined in Russia in 1828. There were 3, 6, and 12 ruble coins. The minting of Russian platinum coins was stopped in 1844. Platinum coins were never used as widely as gold coins and silver ones. Some other countries minted coins made from platinum, but they were commemorative coins for collectors, not intended for daily use.

Every country has minted gold and/or silver coins. There was a long period when people used gold and silver coins as an instrument of payment in their daily lives. But from 1933 year making gold coins was almost stopped for daily use in all countries of the world. Many countries still mint coins from precious metals, but their minting is for commemorative coins that are not made for daily shopping, such as in supermarkets. This is because the precious metals scrap price of the precious metal present in most of these coins now is higher than their face value as legal tender coins. Precious metal refiners such as http://www.goldscrap.co.uk/ will accept all types of Gold, Silver and Platinum bullion coins and scrap metals, paying the highest rates for your investment bullion and coins.

There are almost as many reasons for collecting coins as there are people collecting them. First of all, gold, platinum, silver and other precious metals has always been one of the best ways for keeping and increasing your savings. This means gold, platinum and silver coin collections are a good idea for your investments. Really, sometimes your coin investments can increase in value from 25% to 100% per year. What Bank can offer you so large a yearly income? Of course, you are unable to get any cash until you sell your coins. Investment in gold coins, platinum coins and silver coins is not generally subject to reducing prices. Make sure, you chose a coin dealer that has a good reputation before you start to invest your money in any coins. Conduct research on how long a dealer has been in this business. Never purchase coins from an unknown dealer, if you cannot check his/her business reputation. Because there are a lot of swindlers trying to sell fake coins these days. So, be careful every time when you buy coins from new sellers.

Three main factors determine the value of coins - condition, rarity and age. The value of commemorative gold, silver and platinum coins is always more than their face value. And prices are growing quickly on many commemorative coins and coins bearing certain dates. In some cases, the price can increase by up to 200% in just one year! Also it is a very interesting hobby to collect coins. Every coin is a piece of the human history, and you can touch this history your own hand.