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Who was the first person to collect coins? Just think of the month of August, and it’s easy to remember this answer, because the earliest recorded collection belonged to Augustus Caesar. He was the first emperor of Rome, who lived from 63 BCE to 14 CE, and the month of August is named after him.

Throughout his time as emperor, Augustus collected very old coins from many different places. He loved Greek history, so it’s no surprise that his collection included many ancient Greek gold coins. Augustus ruled until he died. After he died, his collection was seen as a sign of power and wealth. As a result, many of the Roman emperors who ruled after Augustus also had large coin collections. Hundreds of years later, the hobby became even more popular in the Middle Ages. This is when wealthy people and royal families built awesome collections.