Editing Monogram (section)

==History==
[[File:Albrecht Dürer Monogramm.svg|thumb|100px|The "AD" monogram that [[Albrecht Dürer]] used as a signature]]

Monograms first appeared on coins, as early as 350 BC. The earliest known examples are of the names of Greek cities which issued the coins, often the first two letters of the city's name. For example, the monogram of [[Achaea (ancient region)|Achaea]] consisted of the letters [[alpha]] (Α) and [[chi (letter)|chi]] (Χ) joined together.<ref>Henry Noel Humphreys, ''The Coin Collector's Manual, Or Guide to Numismatic Student in the Formation of a Cabinet of Coins'' (Bibliolife, 2008), 226.</ref>

Monograms have been used as signatures by artists and [[Artisan|craft workers]] on paintings, sculptures and pieces of furniture, especially when [[guilds]] enforced measures against unauthorized participation in the trade. A famous example of a monogram serving as an artist's signature is the "AD" used by [[Albrecht Dürer]].