Coins

In the early stages of civilized life men engaged in barter trade. But this involved many difficulties and man tried to find ways of overcoming the difficulties. With the passage of centuries metal was accepted as the most suitable means of commercial exchange. The earliest metal pieces with commercial application were in the from of rods or formless metallic pieces. Gradually coins were made with gold, silver or bronze. Early coins were alloys with definite weights minted by the central governments or local rulers. Although the primary function of the coins were commercial application, nevertheless they carried cultural, political and historical significance. Archaeological excavations have demonstrated that Lidya (in Asia Minor, present Turkey) was the first government in the world that minted coins. Croseus the Lydian king minted coins with alloys of gold and silver called electrum with the image of a lion and cow in fight. The first coins in Iran were minted during the reign of the Achaemenid king Darius the Great (521- 486 B.C.). The first coins were minted with gold called Derik and then with silver with the image of an archer. Apart from the coins minted by the kings, local satraps also minted coins for local commercial exchanges. With the arrival of Islam in Iran changes were made in the design of the coins and Islamic phrases replaced older designs. The trend of minting coins with various alloys and different weights continued until the Qajar era when handmade coins were replaced by machine-made coins. The rich treasury of coins in Malek National Museum demonstrates 25 centuries of history of the country and its international relations as well as social, cultural and economic developments. In the coins hall of the museum, coins are arranged historically, starting with Lydian and Achaemenid coins, various Islamic periods and end in the contemporary times.