coat of arms

紋章 ／ coat-of-arms　—　Reading

A fixed device standing for a family or a city.

Wappenmünzen Hemiobol561–546 BC The crocodile bronze of Nîmes1st century BC Srebrenik of Vladimir ILate 10th–early 11th century

It shows at a glance under whose authority the coin was issued. When territories changed hands through royal marriages or successions, the components of the coat of arms were also rearranged. ⚠ By tracing the changes in the coat of arms, one can directly read the changes in the issuing authority.