Page "Coin collecting" Paragraph 3

Contemporary coin collecting and appreciation began around the fourteenth century.

During the Renaissance, it became a fad among some members of the privileged classes.

The Italian scholar and poet Petrarch is credited with being the pursuit's first and most famous aficionado.

Following his lead, many European kings, princes, and other nobility kept collections of ancient coins.

Some notable collectors were Pope Boniface VIII, Emperor Maximilian of the Holy Roman Empire, Louis XIV of France, Ferdinand I, Henry IV of France and Elector Joachim II of Brandenburg, who started the Berlin Coin Cabinet ( German: Münzkabinett Berlin ).

Perhaps because only the very wealthy could afford the pursuit, in Renaissance times coin collecting became known as the " Hobby of Kings.