The first known coins were minted in the mid-seventh century B.C. Coins revolutionized the conduct of commerce.

Alexander the Great introduced a regulated and universal coinage throughout his empire. Coins were typically engraved with the likenesses of rulers and deities, providing a historical snapshot. Coin collecting started in Renaissance Europe. Wealthy

Europeans collected Greek and Roman coinage. The United States minted its first gold coin in 1795. From then until 1933, U.S. mints produced hundreds of styles and denominations of gold, silver and other coins. Dazzling pieces of artistry and history, collectible rare coins and bullion are among the most prudent additions to any quality investment portfolio.

A collection of coins and bullion could add value and stability to a portfolio. Investing a percentage of a diversified portfolio in gold, silver and platinum could act as a hedge against inflation. Gold can be viewed as an alternative asset class. Tangible assets are usually not as susceptible to the same market pressures as stocks and bonds. Typically, gold is not correlated to either the stock or bond markets.

The availability of American Eagle Gold Coins are in 1/10 oz, ¼ oz, ½ oz and 1 oz denominations which also represent the gold content of the coin plus other metals that add up to the gold's weight. All consist of 22-karat gold, that is 91.67% pure gold. American Eagle Gold Coins has copper and silver alloy content which makes them different from the South African Kruggerands. The copper and silver alloy content are responsible for the yellower tone and lighter weight of these coins contrary to Kruggerands' deep orange tone.

The Lady Liberty which holds her torch is depicted on one side of the coin and on the other side is a male eagle which is flying above its female counterpart and their offspring. The male eagle is a symbolic representation of the United States' power and its promise to protect itself and its entire people. The male eagle can also be seen grasping an olive branch which symbolizes the mission and quest of America for peace while keeping its strength. All denominations carry a similar design. The gold content listed is the only thing that creates the distinction.

There are two concerns when discussing the storage of coins. First, the storage of the individual coin, and Second, the storage of a group of coins, or an entire collection.

Storage of a Coin Collection

The Environment of the entire Collection, or Group of Coins is the focus, taking into consideration Temperature, Humidity and Light. A relatively constant, moderate to low temperature and low humidity are preferable for long term storage of numismatic collectibles. Placing packets of silica gel, which absorbs moisture, in the coin storage areas helps control atmospheric humidity. The less light, the better; and absolutely no sunlight. This is why a safe or vault is ultimate storage container; because it controls Temperature, Light and Humidity, and provides Superior Safety.

Groups of Coins, or Collections are best stored in plastic coin boxes, such as sold by PCGS, NGC and Whitman, and which will hold 20, separated, "slabbed" coins. Another alternative is a cardboard coin storage box (single and double; red, blue or black), which stack easily on each other. Different sizes are available for slabs, as well as Vinyl and Cardboard Flips.

Main purpose of this article is to give you an insight on coin grading and guide you further into understanding everything related to this subject.

For Coin collectors, there is always the need to have more coins, to have good coins in the collection. It is always easy to buy new coins for your collection but you need to make sure that the coins you buy are valuable. If you ever need to sell them this will make sure you can do it without many problems. Following the coin grading system is probably the best way to find out the economic value of your coins.

Coin Grading is essentially the process of determining the grade or condition of a coin, the fundamental factor in its value. Coins from diverse countries have different coin grading systems but for the most part they are similar.

The history of the Russian ruble has more than 700 years. For the first time the term "ruble" was applied to characterize a silver bar as a stick bar at the end of the 13^th century in Novgorod. The bar had a weight of 200 grams and quite often it was cut in halves, which were called poltiny. In addition, there were also a number of smaller units, including vekshi, kuni and zherebya.

The coinage of the silver coin "scale" started in Russian principalities during the 14^th century. It weighted 1/200 of the ruble/bar. The starting point of the coinage of money is the period when the grand duke Dmitry of Don battled Tartars. A lot of grand dukes started minting coins by the 15^th century. Novgorod started striking coins since 1420 and Pskov began minting money in 1425.

Ten years after the dissolution of the Soviet Union, which occurred in December of 1991, Russia continues to settle a modern market economy and looks forward to improve its economic growth. Although Russia's political partners from the Central Europe could come back from the declining production through the introduction of various market reforms in the period of 3 to 5 years, the country's government hesitated on implementation of a number of basic market economy foundations.