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Coins or medals?
Laymen consider coins and medals as round small metal plates with an embossed image, experts consider them as unmistakable artifacts with collectible, investment and emotional value. Although it may seem that coins and medals differ only in name, the truth is different.
Coins
- These are always legal tender
- The relevant central bank is the issuer of coins
- Their form is bound by the legal requirements of the issuer
- They bear a fixed nominal value, currency and other attributes of the state
- They can be divided into circulation, commemorative and investment coins
- The nominal value of circulation coins corresponds to their value at the exchange
- The real value of commemorative and investment coins differs from the nominal value
Medals
- Do not confuse them with military honors or sports awards
- Do not confuse them with coins
- They are traditional especially in Central Europe
- They have no nominal value and therefore they are not legal tender
- The issuer of medals is not the state, but a private entity
- There are no limits to their form
- They can be divided into commemorative and investment medals
- Medals made of precious metals bear the hallmark
