Copper coins have been found in China dating all the way back to the 11th century BC. From basic beaten and cast shapes, coins have evolved as new minting technologies have been invented.

When exchanging items for their worth in silver or gold became too difficult due to dishonest people, standardized coins were created.

Knowing that a given coin was worth a certain amount made it much easier for merchants and purchasers to know they got their money’s worth.

It didn’t take long for coins to become mainstream.

Early coins in Lydia (now Turkey) were made of electrum, which is a mixture of gold and silver that occurs naturally.

This combination was alloyed with silver and copper.

Later coins were often made of precious metals like gold, silver and copper.

As the Persian Empire conquered the region, coins became the standard for their monetary system.

Chinese coins were made of bronze.

Coins were introduced after the barter system ceased to be a fair system.

Chinese coins were commonly made with a hole in the center so they could be strung together on a cord to be carried easily.

In Greece, early coins were imprinted with a sea turtle.

These silver coins were called a drachm, which literally means "handful."

Later, artists were commissioned to design mythical heroes as well as gods and goddesses to adorn their coinage starting in the 5th century BC.

Alexander the Great preferred realistic designs on his coins.

He circulated his coins all through Asia Minor. In ancient Rome, coins quickly became the preferred monetary system.

It is even said that the Roman Emperor Augustus began collecting coins.

The Romans made so many that coins from that era are easy to find today.

When the Romans invaded Britain, there were already rudimentary coins in use in the British Isles.

These coins were made of copper, silver and gold.

The Romans replaced them with their own coins by 43 AD. By 430 AD various regional monarchs were minting their own coins across Britain.

Once under a single monarch, British coins were a symbol of the authority of the Crown.

Counterfeiting was severely punished.

By 1350, King Edward III declared counterfeiting to be a treasonous act.

After the United States of America came into being, they did not have an official monetary currency until 1792, when they passed the Coinage Act.

Copper coins were manufactured and the first mint was established in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Coins went through many changes over the centuries.

Some were discontinued like the halfpenny and the farthing.

Some were decimalized to become part of a larger currency issued by the new European Union in the 1990s.

Credit cards and banking made coins less important.

Nevertheless, coins are still playing an important part in preserving the history of civilization.

Coin collectors can trace the history of individual countries easily through their currency.

In current day, coins are also minted to commemorate special events that are collected by numismatists and fans of the events being commemorated.

As a hobby, coin collecting began way back in the 14th century when it used to be the indulgence of Kings hence its branding as the ‘Hobby of Kings.’

The Renaissance period saw the reemergence of this hobby amongst the nobility and the super rich.

Collectors are especially keen to gather coins that are rare to get which they treasure and assign a significantly higher value.

There are certain themes or goals that collectors often seek to satisfy when they set out to satiate their indulgence.

Country collectors normally set out to collect coins from one country, usually their own.

Variety collectors set out to collect coins, which vary from the rest by virtue of differences in dies while type collectors gather coins on the basis design variance.

Year collectors seek coins minted in a specific year and yet there are still others who collect on the basis of the metallic composition amongst other criteria.

Anyone wishing to join the ranks of Russel Rulau, who has been collecting coins for ages, must bear in mind the seven steps required to start coin collecting.

The first step of note for a novice coin collector would be to decide which coins you want to collect.

That may impose upon you the need you want to identify with.

However, it is usually safer to start collecting the common types, which are readily available if you are to stay on course to satisfying your thirst.

Secondly, you should invest in a coin-collecting book such as the Whitman Coin Books, which are relatively cheap and satisfies the recommended standard for coin books.

This should be followed by an even more critical step of sorting through your change to find out which coins you already have and would wish to keep.

Such a habit should make it easy for you to retain desirable coins without going through the hustle and bustle of looking for them.

Another important step would be for the collector to head to the bank and trade in cash for rolls of coins.

Such rolls would provide a wide pool from which to select the desired coins with which to fill your album.

It is true you might end up with mostly later date coins but Lady Luck might smile on you and you land on the rare, older coins as well.

The coins you are not interested in can then be returned to the bank in exchange for a new set of coins or for notes.

This way, the pain of collecting the conventional way can be avoided.

Important, too, is for the collector to grow his or her collection with time.

This would certainly necessitate the need to buy additional books or coin storage tubes to safely keep your exotic collection of coins.

The sixth step is for the collector to get a ‘blue book’, which will educate the collector about the various grades.

The last but not least step is for the collector to keep the wares in a safe place.

You may never know when their value would appreciate.

In conclusion, coin collectors are advised to be persistent in their search for rare coins and should not give up easily.

In fact, they should enjoy looking for coins.

They should resist the temptation to buying rare coins but should go out and find them. More on that later.