Coin collection, or numismatics as it is known, is one of the oldest hobbies in the world. This fascinating hobby of collecting coin requires a lot of patience and a good eye for detail. You have to be quick to identify the value of a seemingly innocuous coin and be obstinate enough to know the history of the coin.
Numismatics is a hobby that can be picked up by anyone irrespective of age, gender, profession or socioeconomic standing. It is something that can be pursued by people across demographics. If you thought collecting coins is for those with too much time on their hands, you are wrong. Here we list 5 famous people who have been and some still are ardent coin collectors.
Nicole Kidman
This Hollywood superstar is very much into the old-school and old-fashioned hobby of numismatics. It is rumored that the Moulin Rouge star collects Judean coins. Judean coins are ancient Hebrew silver coins that originated in Judaea, which was a part of the Persian empire in 6th century BCE. Although Kidman’s connection to these ancient coins is a gossip column rumor, it never hurts to speculate on the numismatic side of the actress.
Thomas Jefferson
The founding father of USA and the principal author of the Declaration of Independence was known for many things, numismatics being one of them. The third president enthusiastically collected gold coins. The period of these coins ranged from contemporary Europe to ancient civilizations from the past.
Franklin D Roosevelt
Roosevelt was another president who was an enthusiastic numismatic. He was an ardent collector of coins and later became associated with the humble dime. Roosevelt started the March of Dime, a fundraising campaign to fight polio. This program invited people to contribute at least a dime to help find cure against polio. To commemorate Roosevelt’s legacy, the US Government and the US Mint decided to put Roosevelt’s image on the humble dime (10 cent).
John Quincy Adams
The sixth president of United States was also a keen collector of coins. Adams’s specialty was collecting ancient Roman coins. He was known as one of the most prominent coins collectors in America. His interest in coin collection began in Europe when he started collecting coins from Greek and Roman civilizations along with his father John Adams, the second president of the country. The great coin collection of the Adams family was acquired by the Massachusetts Historical Society. In 1971, this collection was auctioned off.
