Abstract
The article for the first time analyzes the metal coins stored in the fund of the Aktobe Regional Museum of Local Lore, starting from the ancient period and ending with the present. The authors describe in detail the history of the formation of the numismatic collection, dwell in detail on the unique Greek coins of the period of Syracuse and the Bosporus (III-II centuries BC), also about the coins of the turgesh and Tang dynasty, tiyns of the Crimean Khanate, numismatic coins of the Russian Empire, etc. Of great value as an ethnographic material, are silver coins with through holes on the edge of the item. Researchers prove the use of such coins for ritual purposes, as well as as elements of women’s jewelry by Kazakhs in the middle of the XIX – XX centuries: coins were attached to women’s jewelry – “shashbau”, as well as to decorate headdresses such as takiya and wedding headdress “saukele”.The authors emphasize that coins and silver jewelry are still used in everyday life, for example, in the rituals of forty days after the birth of a child – “kyrkynan shygaru”. In general, such a study of the numismatic collection of the Aktobe Museum is carried out for the first time. Key words: numismatics, collection, coin, museum fund, jewelry, ethnography, exposition.