NUMISMAT'ICS, the science of coins and medals, principally those struck by the nneient Greeks and Romans. The word coin is in modern times applied to those pieces of metal struck for the purpose of circulation as money ; while the word med al signifies pieces of metal similar to coins not intended for circulation as money, but struck and distributed in commemoration of some person or event. Ancient coins, however, arc often termed in common lan guage medals. The parts of a coin or medal are, the obverse or face, containing generally the head, bust, or figure of the sovereign or person in whose honor the medal was struck, or some emblematic figure relating to hint; 'and the reverse, containing various figures or words. The words around the border form the lezend, those in the middle or field the inscrip tion. The lower part of t he coin sepa rated by a line from the figures or the inscription, is the basis or exergue, sal contains the date, the place where th.i
coin was struck, &c. The metals of wide', coins and medals have been chiefly com posed are gold, silver, brass or copier. The earliest coins are Phoenician, an I were struck or imprinted from dies unre versed, so that the inscription was re versed; but those struck by the ancient Greeks and Romans are most deserving our attention. The study of coins and medals is indispensehle to arelepology, and to a thorough acquaintanee with the Fine Arts. They indicate the names of countries and cities, determine their po sition, and present pictures of many cele brated plaecs. They fix the period of events, and enable its to trace series of kings. In short, they serve to make us acquainted with whatever relates to an cient usages, civil, military. and religions, while they enable us to trace the epochs of different styles of art, and are of great assistance in our philological researches.