Numismatist

A numismatist is a specialist, researcher, and/or well-informed collector of numismatics/coins ("of coins"; from Late Latin numismatis, genitive of numisma). Numismatists can include collectors, specialist dealers, and scholar-researchers who use coins (and possibly, other currency) in object-based research. Although use of the term numismatics was first recorded in English in 1799, people had been collecting and studying coins long before then all over the world. (The branch of numismatics that deals with the study and collection of paper currency and banknotes by notaphilists is called Notaphily)

Numismatist collectors

This group chiefly may derive pleasure from the simple ownership of monetary devices and studying these coins as private amateur scholars. In the classical field, amateur collector studies have achieved quite remarkable progress in the field. Examples include Walter Breen, a noted numismatist who was not an avid collector, and King Farouk I of Egypt, an avid collector who had very little interest in numismatics. Harry Bass by comparison was a noted collector who was also a numismatist.

Numismatist dealers

In this group are the coin dealers. Often called professional numismatists, they authenticate or grade coins for commercial purposes. The buying and selling of coin collections by numismatists who are professional dealers advance the study of money, and expert numismatists are consulted by historians, museum curators, and archaeologists. See, for example, the International Association of Professional Numismatists (IAPN) and the British Numismatic Trade Association (BNTA).

Numismatist researchers

In this group are scholar numismatists working in public collections, universities or as independent scholars acquiring knowledge about monetary devices, their systems, their economy and their historical context. Coins are especially relevant as a source in the pre-modern period.

Training and recognition

There are very few academic institutions around the world that offer formal training in numismatics. Some may offer numismatics as part of a course in classical studies, ancient history, history or archaeology. Scholar numismatists may focus on numismatics at the postgraduate level, where the training is more research-based. As a result, most scholar numismatists will approach numismatics from within another academic discipline (e.g. history, archaeology, ancient or modern languages, metal sciences), perhaps after attending a numismatic summer school, usually based where there is an excellent coin collection. Recognition of scholarly numismatic expertise may be in the form of a postgraduate qualification, and/or in the form of a medal awarded by a numismatic society: for example, the Medal of the Royal Numismatic Society, which may be awarded to scholar numismatists of any nationality.

Donald H. Kagin earned the first PhD in Numismatics granted in the United States in 1979.

Numismatic institutes

The Institute for Numismatics and History of Money Vienna (Austria)
Indian Institute for Research in Numismatic Studies, Nasik (India)
International Centre for Numismatic Studies, Naples (Italy)

Numismatic summer schools

American Numismatic Association Summer Seminar
American Numismatic Society
British Museum
Radboud University Nijmegen (RU) and the Netherlands Institute at Athens (NIA) Summer School

Numismatic organizations (selection)

American Numismatic Association
American Numismatic Society
Asociación Numismática Española (Spanish Numismatic Society)
Australian Numismatic Society
British Art Medal Society
British Association of Numismatic Societies
British Numismatic Society
International Bank Note Society
International Numismatic Council organises the International Numismatic Congress, and publishes the Survey of Numismatic Research.
Israel Numismatic Society
Koninklijk Nederlands Genootschap voor Munt- en Penningkunde (Royal Dutch Numismatic Society)
Money and Medals Network (UK)
Numismatic Association of Australia
Numismatische Gesellschaft zu Berlin (Berlin Numismatic Society)
Oriental Numismatic Society
Österreichische Numismatische Gesellschaft (Austrian Numismatic Society)
Royal Numismatic Society (UK)
Schweizerische Numismatische Gesellschaft/Société Suisse de Numismatique/Società Svizzera di Numismatica/Swiss Numismatic Society
Società Numismatica Italiana (Italian Numismatic Society)
Royal Numismatic Society of Belgium (Société Royale de Numismatique de Belgique)
Société française de numismatique (French Numismatic Society)
Svenska Numismatiska Föreningen (Swedish Numismatic Society)

Biographical resources

As scholar numismatists work on coins (and related objects) within their particular area of interest (e.g. a particular part of the world, a particular period of history, or a particular culture), they are often known in those fields, as well as in numismatics. Biographical resources relating specifically to numismatists include the following:

Manville, H.E., Biographical Dictionary of British and Irish Numismatics, Encyclopaedia of British Numismatics. Volume IV (London, 2009)
Smith, Pete:, American Numismatic Biographies (1992).
"Numismatic Who's Who", in Coins Weekly.
de Callataÿ, F., Portraits of Famous Numismatists who died before 1800
de Callataÿ, F., Portraits of Famous Numismatists who died after 1800
Famous Numismatists - Les grands numismates, on the International Numismatic Council webpage
Encyclopedic Dictionary of Numismatic Biographies - focus on American numismatists
Numismatics - Biographical Information, on The E-Sylum