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Message:: [QUOTE="Clinker, post: 463951, member: 6229"]You probably know Francesco Petrarca (aka Petrarch) lived from 1304 until 1374. You, also, probably know him (from school History and Literary classes) as an Italian scholar, poet and Renaissance Humanist, therefore he is reknown throughout the world as the "Father of Humanism." You may even know he was the first person to refer to the "Middle Ages" as the "Dark Ages." Well, Numismatic historians believe him to be the "Father of Coin Collecting." We know many early mints retained samples of their coinage manufacture AND just about every kingdom maintained vaults filled with their own and foreign coinage. Kings, during special yearly events, tossed handfuls of coins into the crowds who amassed at the event or lined the roadways to and from the event. but Petrarch is believed to be the first non-noble person to amass coins as a collection. Petrarch traveled extensively throughout Italy and neighboring countries of Europe, and during those trips he acquired circulating coins of the realms. Several of those coins were retained by him, and, over time, Petrarch began wondering about the coins making up his accumulation. As he reentered previously visited areas, he sought information about the coins in his possession and began securing denominations he didn't already have. By asking questions, he learned whose likness was on each coin, who minted the coin, and the denomination. In due time his fascination and knowledge of coins became well-known. Petrarch wrote in a letter that he was often approached by vinediggers, who,while tilling cleared fields, unearthed old coins, asking him to buy them or to identify the images on them. Antiquity scholars believe Petrarch was, also, the first coin collector to present coins as a viable gift of history because in 1355 he presented a collection of Roman coins to Charles IV, Holy Roman Emperor. Thought you'd like to know...do you? Clinker [/QUOTE]

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