World coins have been around a lot longer than United States coins by a long shot, the first ones being issued in 600 B.C. by the Kingdom of Lydia in Asia Minor. In recent years, many collectors have discovered the advantages of collecting world coins. Two reasons are the fact that the variety of coins available is much greater and the price of the coins can be significantly lower than the equivalent United States coin. A perfect example would be the Mexican Eight Reales coin from the late 1700s, legal tender in the United States until the mid 1800s, that can be easily obtained for less than $100. A similarly dated United States coin similar condition would command thousands of dollars.