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MONEY - THE HISTORY
Interesting Dates
1561 - First coins produced by machinery (known as a
'mill') rather than by hand; 1663 -
new machinery replaced hand struck coinage.
1613 - Copper farthing produced; silver coin too small.
1652 -
Massachusetts established only Colonial Mint;
September 1‚ 1652 - John Hull, Robert Sanderson
officially opened Massachusetts Bay Mint in Boston‚ issued Pine Tree Shilling,
first
coin produced in what is now the United States; initial
issue consisted of simple round planchets with NE punched on obverse, denomination on reverse.
July 16, 1661 - Bank of Stockholm issued first banknotes
in Europe.
February 3, 1690
- Colony of
Massachusetts authorized the first official paper currency ever
used in the Western Hemisphere; prior to that colonists generally used
unofficial coins; 1652-1682 - Boston-based silversmiths
John Hull and Robert Sanderson operated their own mint, issued silver
shillings and three and sixpence piece.
1690 - Massachusetts colony bills of credit
for soldiers were first official currency in America.
1717 - Value of golden guinea fixed at 21 shillings.
May 10, 1775 - Second Continental Congress convened in
Pennsylvania , issued paper currency for first time.
June 22, 1775 - Congress authorized
first issue of Continental Currency, some $2 million in bills of credit, known as
"Continentals", to help to finance American Revolution. Featured
likenesses of Revolutionary soldiers, inscription "The United
Colonies." Backed by promise of "future tax revenues"; ultimately failed, left the young nation
saddled with a hefty war debt. America resisted the urge to issues new
paper notes until the dawn of the Civil War.
1775 - Three
men appointed to supervise printing of $2 million in bills;
28 citizens of Philadelphia employed by Congress to sign,
number them.
July 25, 1775 - Maryland issued currency depicting George
III trampling Magna Carta.
1776 - The
Continental Congress provided for standing committee of five to
oversee Treasury Department; Committee referred to by
various names, including Board of Treasury, Treasury Office of
Accounts.
1776 -
Continental Congress established Treasury's Office of Accounts with an Auditor General, under Standing Committee of the Treasury.
1776 --
Treasurer of the United States authorized to employ persons to sign bills.
April 1, 1778 - Oliver Pollock, New
Orleans businessman, created dollar ($) sign; his penmanship made
abbreviation appear to be transposition of letters "p"
and "s."
1778 - The
Articles of Confederation regulated coin alloys and values.
1779
-Continental Congress created office of
Secretary of the Treasury; July
1779 - position abolished when new Board of Treasury established.
1779 - The
final issue of Continental Currency authorized; money later became
worthless, gave rise to saying "not worth a Continental."
February 17, 1781 -- The Office of the Superintendent
of Finance replaced Board of Treasury;
1781 -- Robert
Morris unanimously elected Superintendent of Finance.
1782 -
The first known imprint of Great Seal of the United States made.
1784 - The
Continental Congress established Board of Treasury to consist of
three Commissioners.
July 6, 1785 - First time in history, nation
adopted decimal coinage system; dollar unanimously chosen as money unit
for United States.
1786
- Congress approved Thomas Jefferson's proposal for dollar-driven
currency;
August 8, 1786 - Congress adopted silver dollar, decimal
system of money.
1786 - The
Continental Congress authorized establishment of Mint facility in
Philadelphia, PA.
1789 - Law
enacted by Congress created Treasury Department; second oldest department in Federal Government;
1789 -
Alexander Hamilton took oath of
office as first
Secretary of the Treasury.
1789 - Temporary Loan made; believed to be only loan negotiated without
authority of law.
1790 -
Congress authorized first U.S. Government securities.
January 28, 1791 -Secretary
of Treasury Alexander Hamilton
submitted Mint Report to Congress; gave results of U.S.
Government's first financial survey on silver content of Spanish
dollar.
April 2, 1792
-
Congress passed the Coinage Act;
authorized: 1) legal tender system; 2) establishment of the U.S. Mint and
a decimal-based currency system, 3) the President to
construct Mint buildings in the nation's capitol, Philadelphia (first
federal building erected under the Constitution), 4)
minting of $10 Eagle, $5 half-Eagle and 2.50 quarter-Eagle gold coins
and silver dollar, dollar, quarter, dime and half-dime;
1792 -
astronomer and mathematician David Rittenhouse installed as Mint's
inaugural Director (served
from 1793 until 1795);
ushered 11,178 copper coins into circulation, oversaw initial issues
of gold and silver currency; Robert Scot appointed first engraver to
federal mint.
1792 - An Act of Congress established Commissioner
of Revenue in the Treasury Department.
November 6, 1792 --
President George Washington declared end to coin shortage with
striking of first half-dime coins.
1793 - Congress authorized use of foreign
coins as legal tender in United States.
April 15, 1793 - Bank of England handed out first 5 pound
note.
1794 - First silver dollar coins released into circulation.
1794 - First half-dollar coins placed into circulation.
1795 - Robert Scot formed bank note engraving business
in Philadelphia, PA; 1810 - three Philadelphia engravers,
with associations to Scot, formed Murray, Draper, Fairman & Co., one of
principal producers of American Banknotes
1795 --
Alexander Hamilton resigned, ended his
term as first
Secretary of U. S. Treasury.
September 22, 1795 - First $10 gold coins, known as
"eagles," roduced.
October 10, 1795 - United States Mint hired first two
female employees.
1796 -
First $2-1/2 gold coins, known as "quarter eagles," produced.
1797 - Frst copper pennies produced
('cartwheels') in England by application of steam power to coining
press.
February 26, 1797 - First £1 note issued by Bank of
England.
1799 -
U.S. Mint made an independent agency.
1814 - The
British burned
Main Treasury Building, dined by its
light across street in Rhodes Tavern.
1816 - First time British silver coins produced with intrinsic value substantially below their face value –
first official 'token' coinage.
July 4, 1829 - Cornerstone laid for first U.S. mint
(Chestnut and Juniper St, Philadelphia).
1834 - An Act
of Congress regulated gold coinage; reduced gold standard
weight.
March 3, 1835 -- An Act of Congress authorized
Charlotte Mint in North Carolina (in operation from 1838 until 1861);
authorized Dahlonega Mint in Georgia (in operation from 1838 until
1861); authorized New Orleans Mint in Louisiana.
March 23, 1836 - Franklin Beale invented steam-powered coin press;
produced first batch of coins for U.S. Mint.
June 9, 1837 - The Republic of Texas authorized issuance of money
March 8, 1838 - U.S. Mint in New Orleans began operation
(produced dimes).
1838 -
Charlotte Mint in North Carolina
produced
first "branch mint" coinage, gold half-eagle coins.
1842 - A
Fiscal Year of July 1 through June 30 established for Treasury
Department.
March 3, 1849 - Gold Coinage Act authorized $20
Double Eagle gold coin.
1850 - Creation of Swiss Franc; prior to 1850: about
860 different coins were in circulation in Switzerland, all were legal
tender.
March 12, 1850 - First U.S. $20 gold piece issued.
March 3, 1851 - Congress authorized smallest U.S. silver
coin (3 cent piece).
July 3, 1852 - Congress authorized second U. S. mint (San
Francisco, CA).
February 21, 1853 - U.S. authorized minting of $3 gold
pieces.
February 21, 1857 - Act of Congress outlawed foreign
currency as legal tender in U.S.
1858 - American Bank Note Company formed from merger of
Rawdon, Wright, Hatch & Edson (founded 1847, 23.9% share), Toppan,
Carpenter & Co. (founded 1845, 22.4% share), Danforth, Perkins & Co.
(founded 1858, 21.8% share), Bald, Cousland & Co. (founded 1853, 13.3%
share), Jocelyn, Draper, Welsh & Co. (founded 1854, 8.4% share),
Wellstood, Hay & Whiting (founded 1855, 8.2% share), John E. Gavit
(founded 1851, 2% share); offices at Merchants' Exchange Building, 55
Wall St.; 1879 - merged with National Bank
Note Co. (formed 1859), Continental Bank Note Co. (formed 1863);
1891 - introduced "planchette paper" (supplied by Crane &
Co.), contained colored paper discs (rather than silk fibers or silk
threads), instantly revealed any counterfeit; became pre-eminent
supplier of engraved travelers check forms (with safeguards against
counterfeiting); 1900 - supplied bank notes for 48
countries,printed stock certificates, bonds, checks; 1911
- merged with United Bank Note Corp. (formed in 1906 as holding company
to acquire stock of American Bank Note Co.); 1940s -
worked with American Cyanamid Company, Crane & Co. to develop "Melamine"
paper, provides increased resistance to folding, tearing, rubbing, wet
strength or resistance to wear when subjected to moisture; 1990
- International Banknote merged with U.S. Banknote Company L.P. (founded
1884) in transaction valued at $104 million, formed United States
Banknote Corporation, second largest security printer in world;
July 1, 1995 - name changed to American Banknote Corporation;
1997 - international operations genertated nearly 75% of
revenue; 1998 - sold American Bank Note Holographics
(formed in mid-1980s)
for $116 million to reduce domestic debt service; 1999 -
forced to restate 1998 earnings because of questions regarding
overstatement of revenues, net income by Holographics; at least 20
class-action suits filed, investigations initiated by independent
auditors, SEC, U.S. Attorney's office in New York;
August 1999 - stock
delisted;
December 18, 1999 - filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy
protection; August 22, 2002 - United States Bankruptcy
Court for the Southern District of New York confirmed Reorganization
Plan (effective October 1, 2002); August 8, 2003 - jury
found that Morris Weissman, former chairman, CEO of American Banknote,
had inflated company's earnings in 1996 and 1997. April 8, 2005
- Bankruptcy Court confirmed Company's Plan of Reorganization as
American Banknote Corporation.
March 9, 1861 - Confederate currency authorized - $50,
$100, $500, $1,000 denominations.
April 8, 1861 - Confederacy seized U.S. Mint at Dahlonega,
GA.
July 17, 1861 -
United States Government issued
first paper money, U.S. demand notes popularly known as Greenbacks.
1861 --
Salmon P. Chase,
25th
Secretary of the Treasury, instructed
Director of the Philadelphia Mint to develop appropriate motto to
be used on United States coins.
February 25, 1862 - Congress formed U.S. Bureau of
Engraving and Printing; Congress passed Legal Tender Act, authorized use of paper notes, called "greenbacks",
to prevent counterfeiting,
to pay government's bills; ended long-standing policy of using only gold
or silver in transactions, allowed government to finance enormously costly
war long after its gold, silver reserves depleted; greenbacks were
legal tender (creditors had to accept them at face value). Congress also
passed income tax, steep excise taxes, both of which cooled inflationary pressures created by greenbacks;
1862 - first two issues of Greenbacks made
legal tender;
1863 - another legal tender act passed; by Civil War's end
nearly half-billion dollars in greenbacks issued. The Legal
Tender Act laid foundation for creation of permanent currency
in decades after Civil War.
March 10, 1862 - First paper money issued in US: $5, $10, and $20.
April 21, 1862 - Congress established U.S. Mint in
Denver, CO.
July 11, 1862
- Act of Congress provided that Secretary of the Treasury is
responsible for selection of designs, including portraits,
which appear on paper currency.
August 21, 1862 -
Treasury Department released
fractional currency, also known as postage currency: new 5, 10, 25, and
50-cent notes (economy took a beating from Civil War).
August 29, 1862 - Bureau of Engraving and Printing
founded; originally housed in basement of Treasury Building, staff of six (didn't print notes, separated
$1 and $2 United States Notes
produced by private companies); 1863 - bureau started printing notes;
1887 - assumed full responsibility for producing nation's
currency; bureau grew from six to 2,800 employees in two offices in
Washington, DC, branch in Fort Worth, TX; 2006 - bureau annually
engraves approximately 6.5 billion notes worth $80 billion.
November 20, 1862 - First engraving staff (3 people)
started work at
Bureau of Engraving and Printing.
February 25, 1863 -
President Lincoln signed National Currency Act; established Office of the
Comptroller of the Currency, bureau governed by Secretary of the
Treasury, to begin first steps to nationwide circulation of
standardized currency.
March 3, 1863 -- An Act of Congress authorized Carson City Mint in Nevada (in operation from 1870 until 1893); United
States produced first fractional currency notes.
1863 -
Hugh McCulloch appointed as first
Comptroller of the Currency (later
served as
Secretary of the Treasury).
October 10, 1863 - First fractional currency notes
released into circulation.
1863 --
Salmon P. Chase approved proposal
by Director of the Philadelphia Mint for changes to mottoes on
United States coins.
February 17, 1864 -- The Confederate States of America
authorized fourth printing of currency, amounted to $200 million of
notes.
April 22, 1864 - Congress authorized use of phrase
"In God We Trust" on U.S. coins.
March 3, 1865 -- An Act of Congress authorized Director of the Philadelphia Mint to place motto "In
God We Trust" on all gold and silver coins.
November 13, 1865 --First gold certificate issued.
1866 - An Act
of Congress stated that only portrait of deceased person may appear
on bank notes.
May 16, 1866 -
Congress authorized minting of five-cent piece; voted
to discontinue use of small silver coin, half-dime, and replace it
with five-cent piece; initial version of nickel featured shield
on front, "5" on back, plain-faced; successive runs of coin more ornate; 1913
- Bureau of Engraving and Printing issued now-coveted "buffalo" nickel, with buffalo,
bust of Native American on respective sides; current, and even
more ornate, incarnation of coin pays homage to Thomas
Jefferson--features third U.S. president's likeness on one side, rendering of his home, Monticello, on other.
September 17, 1868
- Nation's six-year-old currency agency officially christened as
Bureau of Engraving and Printing, national currency production
bureau.
December 1869
- U.S. Mint at Carson City, NV opened; February 10, 1870 -
first silver dollar coins released into circulation; eight
coin denominations bearing mint mark "CC" produced until June
1, 1893; Mint produced more than $49,000,000 of gold and silver.
June 27, 1871
- Yen became new form of currency in Japan.
February 12, 1873 -
established
Bureau of the Mint under Treasury Department; authorized Treasury
Department to place motto "In
God We Trust" on all United States
coins.
February 19, 1873 --
Comptroller of the Currency required to report on condition of State banks.
January 19, 1874 -- The
United States Mint
authorized to strike coinage for foreign governments.
1876 - U. S. Treasury
Department's Bureau of Engraving and Printing created to print all U.S.
notes, securities;
1877
- became sole producer of all United States currency
1894 -
Began printing
postage stamps.
February 23, 1876 - Last
fractional currency issued, fortotal of $368,720,000. of notes.
March 3, 1877 - Functions of
the
Bureau of Engraving and Printing formally established.
Congress passed Bland-Allison Silver Purchase
Act; provided for issue of silver certificates, authorized coinage of silver dollar coins.
May 2, 1878
- U.S. stopped minting 20 cent coin.
May 31, 1878 - Act of Congress
forbade further retirement of U.S. legal tender notes.
September 26, 1880 - Congress
enacted law mandating that coin designs must remain in use for 25 years.
1887 -
Bureau of Engraving and Printing
began producing all United States paper currency and government
securities; function centralized for first time.
February 20, 1895
- Congress authorized U.S. mint at Denver, Colorado.
March 3, 1899
- Congress authorized Lafayette silver dollar.
March 14, 1900 - Gold
Standard Act fixed value of dollar against gold.
1908 -
Bureau of Engraving and Printing
delivered first postage stamp coils.
May 18, 1908
- Congress passed legislation that made maxim "In God We Trust" an
obligatory element of certain coins; motto dates to early
1860s, when Civil War stirred religious feelings throughout nation. America's heightened piety manifested itself in many places,
including treasury department, which received countless letters
requesting that nation's coins pay some form of tribute to God.
Concerned citizens, religious leaders found fast friend in Treasury
Secretary Salmon P. Chase, who readily agreed that "trust of our
people in God should be declared on our national coins." James Pollock,
director of U.S. Mint at Philadelphia, charged with devising suitable
motto. After some key revisions from Chase, Pollock decided upon "In God We Trust."
1908 - National Monetary Commission established;
published 40 banking treatises, led to establishment of Federal
Reserve System.
August 2, 1909
- First Lincoln head pennies minted to replace Indian Head Cent;
; 95% copper, first US coin to depict likeness
of a president; August 7 - first Lincoln head pennies
issued.
May 14, 1910
- Canada authorized issuing of silver dollar coins.
February 23, 1916
- Congress authorized McKinley Memorial $1 gold coin.
1919 - Revenue Act codified existing tax laws.
February 22, 1922
- Congress authorized Grant Memorial $1 gold coin.
1928 -
Basic
face, back designs of all denominations of United States paper
currency adopted (except backs of $1 and $2 denominations in general
circulation today).
August 7, 1928
- Dollar shrank; Treasury unveiled new version of note, one third smaller than predecessor.; Bureau of Engraving and
Printing printed one billion new bills in denominations ranging from one to ten thousand dollars;
1929 - Treasury department rolled out smaller version of
dollar, shrunk by 25%, displayed now
standard set of portraits and emblems.
December 5, 1931
- Citizens Bank of Tenino, WA failed, created shortage of money; Chamber
of Commerce authorized local newspaper to print first issue of wooden
money in U. S. (to avoid merchants' having to travel 30 miles, 4 hours,
over roads built for horses and mules to get change).
July 31, 1932
- George Washington quarter went into circulation.
March 16, 1933 -- President
Franklin D. Roosevelt deleted gold from coinage, from circulation and
from collections; illegal to hold gold in United States;
1933 - President
Roosevelt forbade hoarding of gold, required delivery of gold coins to government; 1933
- Executive Order regulated hoarding, exporting of gold;
prohibited holding of gold by United States citizens.
May 3, 1933 -
Nellie Taylor Ross took control of United States Mint (first woman); unveiled dime, production of steel penny (designed to
aid nation's finances during World War II).
1933 - Abrogation of Gold Standard.
December 28, 1933 - Pursuant
to Gold Reserve Act of 1934, President Roosevelt ordered private
owners of gold certificates to deliver their notes to
Treasurer of the United States.
January 17, 1934 - Illegal for
private citizens to own gold certificates.
1934 - Gold Reserve Act withdrew gold coins
from circulation, provided for devaluation of dollar's
gold content, created Exchange Stabilization Fund.
May 1, 1935
- Canada's first silver dollar circulated.
March 15, 1938
- United States Secret Service unveiled "Know Your Money" campaign;
designed to raise awareness about characteristics of legal tender; called attention to counterfeiting (problem that had plagued nation
since 19th century); 1863 - government had hoped to halt
counterfeiting by establishing national currency; backfired,
scores of faked bills flooded market; 1865 - government
established Secret Service.
November 18, 1941 - United
States agreed to purchase silver from Mexico to help stabilize Peso.
October 8, 1942 - Wartime
five-cent coin, made of copper-silver-manganese, authorized; "P" Mint
Mark, to denote Philadelphia Mint, first appeared on United
States coin.
June 20, 1948
- Deutsche Mark introduced in West-Germany.
August 16, 1948
- Israeli pound became legal tender.
1950
- Louis Eliasberg, Baltimore financier, finished building complete
collection of regular issue United States coins comprising all
then-known dates, mint marks; only person to ever build complete
set of U.S. coins; 1925 - began collecting; 1942 - largest, most important purchase: Clapp Estate Collection (built first by J.M. Clapp from 1880s through his death in 1906, and then his son
John H. Clapp from 1906 on) for $100,000; 1949 -
purchasing last gold coin he needed (1841 $2 1/2); 1950 -
purchased last silver coin he needed (1873-CC no arrows dime);
1982 - Eliasberg gold coins auctioned by Bowers and Ruddy;
1996-1997 - Eliasberg Copper, Nickel, and Silver coins
auctioned by Bowers and Merena; among greatest in numismatic
history.
July 4, 1952-
Canadian Currency, Mint and Exchange Fund Act allowed gold coins of $5,
$10, and $20 to be minted.
1953 - Coin distribution responsibilities
transferred from
Treasurer of the United States
to
United States Mint.
July 1, 1955 - President
signed Public law 84-140; mandated that motto "In
God We Trust" appear on all United
States currency and coinage.
1956 - President signed Joint Resolution declaring that
motto "In
God We Trust" be national
motto.
1957 -
Bureau of Engraving and Printing.
delivered first currency bearing motto "
In God We Trust";
October 1, 1957
- first appearance of "In God We Trust" on U.S. paper currency;
1963 -
first on U.S.
Federal Reserve Notes.
March 17, 1960
- New £1 notes issued by Bank of England.
1961 -- All $1 currency notes printed on, after this
date bore national motto "
In God We Trust."
December 31, 1960
- Farthing coin, in use in Great Britain since 13th century, ceased to be legal tender.
June 4, 1963 - Act of Congress
that allowed exchange of silver certificates for silver dollars signed into law.
November 6, 1963 -- Production of
$1 Federal Reserve notes with motto "In
God We Trust" began.
December 30, 1963 -- President
Lyndon Johnson approved John F. Kennedy half-dollar coin.
January 23, 1964 -- Production of
$5 United States notes bearing motto "In
God We Trust" began; February 12,
1964 - Production of $2 United States notes bearing motto "In
God We Trust" began; February 24,
1964 -- Production of $10 Federal Reserve notes bearing motto began.
March 24, 1964
- Kennedy half-dollar issued.
1964 - Silver certificates no longer redeemable in silver
dollars, pursuant to Act of
June 4, 1963
(redeemable in silver bullion).
July 31, 1964 - Production of
$5 Federal Reserve notes bearing motto "In
God We Trust" began.
July 23, 1965 - Coinage Act
signed; substituted cupro-nickel clad coins for silver coins in
United States circulating coins, deleted all Mint Marks from coins
(returned in 1968).
September 1, 1965 - San Francisco
Mint produced coins for first time since 1955; bore no
Mint Mark until 1968, when "S" restored.
August 18, 1966
- First redesigned $100 bills, featuring
motto "In God We Trust", printed; August 24, 1966
- production of $50 Federal Reserve notes bearing motto began.
November 6, 1966 - First $1
Federal Reserve notes delivered to Dallas, San Francisco
Federal Reserve Banks.
1968 -
Bureau of Engraving and Printing
completed conversion to dry printing method.
April 23, 1968
- First decimal coins issued in Britain (5 and 10 pence).
1968 - Exchange of silver certificates for silver bullion
discontinued.
August 1, 1968
- Canada began replacing silver with nickel in coins.
November 27, 1968 - First $100
United States notes delivered to Treasury.
April 1, 1969
- Royal Canadian Mint formally formed asCrown Corporation.
April 11, 1969 - Export ban
on U.S. silver coins, which began on May 18, 1967, lifted;
1969 - ownership of
pre-1934 gold coins no longer required license from Treasury
Department.
July 14, 1969 - Department of
the Treasury, Federal Reserve System announced that currency
notes in denominations of $500, $1,000, $5,000, and $10,000 would be
discontinued immediately due to lack of use; issued until 1969, last
printed in 1945.
July 31, 1969
- Halfpenny ceased to be legal tender in Britain.
October 14, 1969
- Britain introduced 50p (fifty-pence) coin, replaced ten-shilling note
(in anticipation of decimalization of currency).
December 30, 1970 - Coinage Act
authorized production of Eisenhower one-dollar coin.
February 15, 1971
- Great Britain, Ireland switched to decimal-based currency.
October 14, 1971 - First
Eisenhower one-dollar coins released into circulation.
December 18, 1971 - Smithsonian Agreement ended
import surcharge, devalued dollar,
realigned exchange rates; official
U.S. price for gold raised to $38 per ounce.
April 3, 1972 - Official U.S.
gold rate raised from $35 per ounce to $38 per ounce.
February 13, 1973 -- President
Nixon raised official gold price in United States from $38.00 an
ounce to $42.22 an ounce.
October 18, 1973
- Congress authorized bi-centennial quarter, half-dollar and dollar
coin.
December 7, 1973 -- Treasury
Department requested standby authority to make aluminum one-cent coins.
December 30, 1974 - Public Law
93-373 allowed United States citizens to own gold; first time since
1933; December 31, 1974 - United States citizens permitted to buy gold coins, gold bullion.
October 10, 1978
- US President Jimmy Carter signed bill into law that authorized minting of Susan B. Anthony dollar;
December 13, 1978
- United States mint in Philadelphia started production on Susan B.
Anthony dollar (silver, not much bigger than quarter); 1979 - 850
million coins put into circulation; flop - people confused it with quarter.
January 14, 1980
- Gold (released from government control) traded at record price,
exceeded $800 an ounce; 1821 - units of English currency
were redeemable for fixed quantity of gold, change that Britain
hoped would stabilize its rapidly growing economy; late 19th century
- most industrialized nations on full gold standard (facilitated
international monetary transactions, stabilized foreign exchange
rates); 1914 - curbing of gold exports at outbreak of
World War I forced recourse to inconvertible paper currency;
1920's - economic growth overtook gold reserves, some nations
supplemented reserves with stable currencies like pound,
dollar (perceived as measure of permanent value); 1930 - world economy, gold
standard collapsed (in response, most governments sharply limited convertibility of paper currency); 1933 - President
Franklin D. Roosevelt prohibited circulation of gold coins (though
gold still used to define value of dollar);
1930's-1960's - currencies remained "pegged" to gold until
global reserves dwindled; 1971 - United States
suspended free exchange of U.S. gold for foreign-held dollars;
1974 - lifted four-decade ban on private purchase of gold
(gold bullion traded in European markets at highs approaching $200
an ounce); 1975 - U.S. government began to sell some of
its holdings on open market ; 1978 - officially
abandoned gold standard.
1981 - First woman sworn in as Chief
Sculptor-Engraver of the United States at Philadelphia Mint.
October 13, 1982
- Bureau of Engraving and Printing unveiled first batch of
mechanical equipment intended to inspect notes.
April 17, 1983
- First National Coin Week began.
April 21, 1983
- One pound coin introduced in United Kingdom.
June 25, 1984 - First gold
coin struck by United States Government in 50 years; American Eagle Gold
Bullion Coin produced at
Denver Mint.
June 30, 1984
- Last sixpence minted in Great-Britain (in use since 1551).
November 12, 1984
- Chancellor Nigel Lawson announced in parliament that English pound
note (quid) would disappear after more than 150 years; replaced by coins
which introduced in April 1984.
September 22, 1985 - Plaza
Accord, international effort to bring down value of dollar, stabilize exchange rates, reached.
1986 -
Bureau of Engraving and Printing
announced new currency design to prevent counterfeiting; first major
design change since 1929.
September 8, 1986 - American
Eagle Gold Bullion Coin struck; first time since 1933 that
United States Mint
produced gold coin.
March 31, 1988 - West Point
Bullion Depository became first new mint since 1862.
July 1, 1990
- German Democratic Republic accepted Deutsche Mark as its currency.
October 10, 1994
- Value of Russian ruble decreased, 3081 rubles per dollar.
September 27, 1995
- Government unveiled redesigned $100 bill with off-center,
enlarged picture of Ben Franklin;
March 25, 1996
- redesigned $100 bill went into circulation.
June 12, 1997
- Treasury Department unveiled new $50 bill meant to be more
counterfeit-resistant.
January 1, 1998 - Euro introduced
for use by European businesses; June 1, 1998 - European
Central Bank opened in Frankfurt, Germany.
May 11, 1998
- French mint produced first coins of Europe's single currency, euro.
August 17, 1998
- Russia devalued ruble.
September 24, 1998
- Redesigned $20 bills, harder to counterfeit, went into
circulation.
January 1, 1999
- "Euro" debuted asfinancial unit in corporate
and investment markets = first time since Charlemagne's reign in ninth century that Europe united with common currency; eleven European
Union nations, representing some 290 million people, launched currency in hopes of increasing European integration, economic
growth; irrevocably established conversion rates between their
respective national currencies and euro, created monetary union
wit single currency, gave birth to euro; closed at 1.17 U.S.
dollars on first day of trading in foreign exchange markets.
January 1, 2002
- Euro became legal tender for European consumers - currency of 15
countries, 320 million people; replaced Deutsche Mark, French franc,
Italian lira, Spanish peseta, Greek drachma, Austrian schilling, Belgian franc, Finnish markka, Irish pound, Luxembourg
franc, Dutch guilder, Portuguese escudo; around 7.8 billion euro notes, 40.4
billion euro coins (worth €144 billion) put into general
circulation by central banks of twelve participating countries
of euro area; euro notes distributed by bank machines; shops
started to give customers change in euro cash.
May 13, 2003
- Government unveiled new version of $20 bill - first to
be colorized in effort to thwart counterfeiters.
April 26, 2004
- U. S. government unveiled new colorized $50 bill.
November 1, 2004
- Bank of Japan issued new series of 1000, 5000, and 10,000 yen
notes; old and new series circulated together.
September 19, 2005 - Gold
Rush-era coin, confirmed as one of only 12 Quarter Eagles known to exist
of 246 made by San Francisco Mint in 1854, containing 1/8 of an
ounce of California gold, sold for $ 253,000 at a Beverly Hills auction; owned by descendant of Chinese immigrants who worked in California gold fields.
September 28, 2005
- U.S. Treasury unveiled new $10 bill, featured splashes of red,
yellow and orange.
April 2006
- Cost of metals in penny (zinc, copper) rose above 0.008 cents,
more than twice value in Fall 2005; U.S. government spent at
least six-tenths of cent (above cost of metal) to make each penny
- lost about half of a cent on each new penny minted; July
18, 2006 - Representative Jim Kolbe (R-Arizona) announced
legislation to eliminate penny (production cost = $.014), to round
cash transactions to nearest nickel; 1982
- copper rose to record levels; Mint started making pennies mostly of
zinc (with thin copper coating).
November 20, 2006
- Edmund C. Moy, Director of United States Mint, unveiled four
designs for on-dollar coins, featured likenesses of first first
four presidents; began decade-long series to portray every
deceased president; first coin, with George Washington on one side, Statue of Liberty on other side,
began to circulate in February
2007.
Sir Norman Angell (1929).
The Story of Money. (New York, N:
Frederick A. Stokes Company, 411 p.). Money--History.
Alonzo Barton and Emily Eaton Hepburn (1924). A History of
Currency in the United States. (New York, NY: Macmillan, 573 p.).
Money--History; Coinage--History; Currency question; Federal Reserve
banks.
Klaus W. Bender (2006).
Moneymakers: The Secret World of Banknote Printing. (Weinheim,
Germany: Wiley-VCH Verlag, 316 p.). Foreign Correspondent for the
"Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung" (FAZ), Germany's leading
daily paper. Paper money --Europe; Counterfeits and counterfeiting
--Europe; Bank notes --Europe. In-depth view of
the banknote industry and its modus operandi
S.M.H. Bozorgnia (1998).
The Role of Precious Metals in European
Economic Development: From Roman Times to the Eve of the Industrial
Revolution. (Westport, CT: Greenwood Press, 209 p.). Europe --
Economic conditions; Money -- Europe -- History; Precious metals --
Europe -- History; Economic history.
Sophonisba Preston Breckinridge (1969).
Legal Tender; A Study in
English and American Monetary History. (New York, NY: Greenwood
Press, 181 p. [orig. pub. 1903]). Legal tender; Money--United
States--History; Money--Great Britain--History.
James Buchan (1997).
Frozen Desire: The Meaning of Money.
(New York, NY: Farrar, Straus & Giroux, 320 p.). Money--History--Miscellanea.
Arthur R. Burns (1965).
Money and Monetary Policy in Early
Times. (New York, NY: A.M. Kelley, 517 p.). Money--History;
Coinage--History. Numismatics; Coins, Ancient. Weights and measures.
John Chown (1994).
A History of Money: From AD 800. (New
York, NY: Routledge, 306 p.). Money--History; Credit--History.
John Cooley (2008).
Currency Wars: How Forged Money is the New Weapon of Mass Destruction.
(New York, NY: Skyhorse Publishing, 320 p.). Counterfeits and
counterfeiting--Political aspects; Political stability--Economic
aspects. Greed and fear as catalysts in world
economics; forgery as way of waging war, seizing power; counterfeit
money as a weapon; grand-scale forgery's corrosive implications for
global economic, political, social stability.
Simon Coupland (2007).
Carolingian Coinage and the Vikings: Studies on Power and Trade in
the 9th Century. (Burlington, VT: Ashgate/Variorum, 336 p.).
Money -- France -- History; Coinage -- France -- History; Economic
history -- Medieval, 500-1500; Vikings -- France; France -- History --
To 987.
Joanne C. Dauer, Edward A. Dauer (2003).
American History as Seen Through Currency: A Pictorial History of
United States Currency as Seen Throughout Important Historical Events.
(Ft. Lauderdale, FL: Edward and Joanne Dauer, 400 p.). Paper
money--United States--History; United States--History.
Glyn Davies (2002).
A History of Money: From Ancient Times to
the Present Day. (Cardiff, Wales: University of Wales Press, 720
p. [3rd ed.]). Emeritus Professor (University of Wales). Money;
Money--History; Coinage; Coinage--History.
Agnes F. Dodd (1911). History of Money in the British Empire &
the United States. (New York, NY: Longmans, Green, and Co., 356
p.). Money--Great Britain--History; Money--United States--History;
Money--Great Britain.
Armand van Dormael (1997). The Power of Money (Washington
Square, NY: New York University Press, 184 p.).
Money--Europe--History--20th century; Money--United
States--History--20th century; Economic history--20th century.
Ed. Mark Duckenfield (2004).
The Monetary History of Gold: A Documentary History, 1660-1999.
(Brookfield, VT: Pickering & Chatto, 536 p.). Gold --History; Gold
standard --History; Money --History.
Catherine Eagleton and Jonathan Williams; with Joe Cribb and
Elizabeth Errington (2007).
Money: A History. (Buffalo, NY: Firefly Books, 272 p.). Curator
of Paper Money and Modern Coins; Curator of Roman and Iron Age coin;
Curator of Asian coins; Curator of South Asian coins (all at the British
Museum). Money--History; Monnaie--Histoire. Coins, paper money from ancient to modern
times; use of monetary exchange from primitive barter system to online,
cashless systems: 1) Ancient Mesopotamia, Greece and Egypt; 2)
Roman world; 3) Medieval Europe; 4) Islamic lands; 5) India and
Southeast Asia; 6) China and the Far East.
Africa and Oceania; 7) early modern period and the modern period
(introduction of the Euro and e-money).
Paul Einzig (1962).
The History of Foreign Exchange. (New York, NY: St Martin’s
Press, 319 p.). Financial Journalist, Lombard Street," column for the
Financial News. Foreign exchange--History. Impressive, controversial,
provocative, work; a classic.
--- (1966).
Primitive Money in Its Ethnological,
Historical, and Economic Aspects. (New York, NY: Pergamon Press, 557
p. [2nd ed.]). Money--Origin.
Joseph Farris (2001).
Money Inc.: A Wry Look at Business Today.
(Mt. Pleasant, SC: Spectacle Lane Press, 133 p.).
Business--Caricatures and cartoons; Money--Caricatures and cartoons.
Portions of this work have appeared previously in: Accounting Today,
Barron's, Harvard Business Review, Natural Pharmacy, The National Law
Journal, The New Yorker, and Wall Street Journal.
Albert Edgar Feavearyear (1931). The Pound Sterling: A History
of English Money. (Oxford, UK: Clarendon Press, 367 p.).
Money--Great Britain--History; Currency question--Great Britain.
Niall Ferguson (2001).
The Cash Nexus: Money and Power in the
Modern World, 1700-2000. (London, UK: Allen Lane, 552 p.).
Money--History; History, Modern.
Eds. Robert M. Fishman and Anthony M. Messina (2006).
The Year
of the Euro: The Cultural, Social, and Political import of Europe’s
Common Currency. (Notre Dame, IN: University of Notre Dame Press,
328 p.). professor of sociology and a fellow of the Kellogg Institute
for International Studies and the Nanovic Institute for European
Studies (University of Notre Dame); associate professor of political
science and a fellow of the Kellogg Institute for International
Studies and Nanovic Institute for European Studies (University of
Notre Dame). Euro--Social aspects--Congresses; Euro--Political
aspects--Congresses. Whether new common currency
will reshape Europe's cultures, societies, political systems and, if
so, in what ways.
Alison Frankel (2006).
Double Eagle: The Epic Story of the World’s Most Valuable Coin.
(New York, NY: Norton, 320 p.). Senior Writer at The American Lawyer.
Double eagle (Coin)--History. Author brings coin's history to life and
illuminates the world of coin collecting. One
coin, for years the only known 1933 twenty-dollar Double Eagle in the
world, has inspired the passions of thieves and collectors, lawyers
and charlatans.
John Kenneth Galbraith (1975).
Money, Whence It Came, Where It
Went. (Boston, MA: Houghton Mifflin, 324 p.). Money--History;
Economic history.
Barbara Garson (2001).
Money Makes the World Go Around. (New
York, NY: Viking, 342 p.). Capital movements; Mutual funds;
International finance; Money.
Jason Goodwin (2003).
Greenback: The Almighty Dollar and the Invention of America.
(New York, NY: Holt, 321 P.). Dollar.
Elgin Groseclose (1976).
Money and Man: A Survey of Monetary
Experience. (Norman, OK: University of Oklahoma Press, 307 p. [4th
ed.]). Money--History; Currency question.
William Hamilton; with an introd. by John Kenneth Galbraith (1980).
Money Should Be Fun. (Boston, MA: Houghton Mifflin, 128 p.).
Money--Caricatures and cartoons; American wit and humor, Pictorial.
Kenneth W. Harl (1996).
Coinage in the Roman Economy, 300 B.C. to
A.D. 700. (Baltimore, MD: Johns Hopkins University Press, 533 p.).
Professor of History (Tulane University). Coins, Roman;
Coinage--Rome--History; Rome--Economic conditions.
Ed. William V. Harris (2008).
The Monetary Systems of the Greeks and Romans. (New York, NY:
Oxford University Press, 330 p.). Shepherd Professor of History
(Columbia University). Money --Rome --History; Money --Greece --History;
Rome --Economic conditions --30 B.C.-476 A.D; Greece --Economic
conditions --To 146 B.C. Complexity of Greek and
Roman monetary systems, how systems worked, how they did, did not
resemble modern monetary system.
Eric Helleiner (2003).
The Making of National Money: Territorial
Currencies in Historical Perspective. (Ithaca, NY: Cornell
University Press, 277 p.). Money; Money--Political aspects; Currency
question.
Manuel Hinds (2006).
Playing Monopoly with the Devil: Dollarization and Domestic Currencies
in Developing Countries. (New Haven, CT: Yale University Press,
304 p.). Former Chief Adviser to the President of El Salvador on the
Dollarization of the Country in 2000-2001. Money--Developing countries;
Currency question--Developing countries; Monetary policy--Developing
countries. Currency problems that developing countries
face, practical advice for policy makers on how to deal with them.
James Willard Hurst (1973).
A Legal History of Money in the United
States, 1774-1970. (Lincoln, NB: University of Nebraska Press, 367
p.). Money--United States--History; Monetary policy--United States.
Louis Jordan (2002).
John Hull: The Mint and the Economics of Massachusetts Coinage.
(Hanover, NH: University Press of New England, 348 p.). Hull, John,
1624-1683; Coinage--Massachusetts--History--17th century; Coins,
American--Massachusetts; Mints--Massachusetts;
Massachusetts--History--Colonial period, ca. 1600-1775--Sources;
Massachusetts--Economic aspects.
Craig Karmin (2008).
The Biography of a Dollar: How Mr. Greenback Greases the Skids of
America and the World. (New York, NY: Crown Business, 272 p.).
Reporter for the "Money and Investing" section of The Wall Street
Journal. Dollar, American; Foreign exchange; International finance.
Dollar's history from early days in mid-19th century to position at top of global economy; power of Federal Reserve, inner
sanctums of foreign central banks, foreign exchange traders; enabled global economy to
flourish but allowed U. S. to owe shocking amounts of money, raised
concerns that dollar standard may not be sustainable.
Edited by Robert Mankoff; introduction by Christopher Buckley
(1999).
The New Yorker Book of Money Cartoons: The Influence,
Power, and Occasional Insanity of Money in All of Our Lives.
(Princeton, NJ: Bloomberg Press, 110 p.). New Yorker (New York, N.Y. :
1925); Money--Caricatures and cartoons; American wit and humor,
Pictorial.
Nicholas Mayhew (2000).
Sterling, The History of a Currency.
(New York, NY: Wiley, 290 p.). Curator in the Heberden Coin Room (Ashmolean
Museum); Fellow of St. Cross College, (Oxford). Money--Great
Britain--History.
John J. McCusker (1978).
Money and Exchange in Europe and
America, 1600-1775: A Handbook. (Chapel Hill, NC: University of
North Carolina Press, 367 p.). Money--Tables; Money--United States--History--Colonial period, ca.
1600-1775; Money--Europe--History. Published for the Institute of Early
American History and Culture, Williamsburg, VA.
Stephen Mihm (2007).
A Nation of Counterfeiters: Capitalists, Con Men, and the Making of
the United States. (Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press,
472 p.). Assistant Professor of History (University of Georgia). Bank
notes--Forgeries--United States; Banks and banking--United States;
Counterfeits and counterfeiting--United States.
Bank note counterfeiting in antebellum U.S.; countless banks
issued paper money in variety of denominations, designs;
counterfeiters flourished, circulated vast quantities of bogus bills;
how federal government issued greenbacks for first time, began
dismantling older monetary system, counterfeit economy it sustained.
Robert Minton (1975).
John Law, The Father of Paper Money.
(New York, NY: Association Press, 288 p.). Law, John, 1671-1729;
Capitalists and financiers--Biography; Paper money--France--History.
Carl H. Moore, Alvin E. Russell (1987).
Money: Its Origin,
Development, and Modern Use. (Jefferson, NC: McFarland, 164 p.).
Money--History.
Walter T.K. Nugent (1968). Money and American Society, 1865-1880.
(New York, NY: Free Press, 336 p.). Money--United States--History.
Arthur Nussbaum (1957). A History of the Dollar. (New York,
NY: Columbia University Press, 308 p.). Money--History.
Fred L. Reed (2005).
Show Me the Money!: The Standard Catalog of Motion Picture,
Television, Stage, and Advertising Prop Money. (Jefferson, NC:
McFarland, 790 p). Prop money--Catalogs; Money in motion
pictures--Catalogs. Hollywood’s storytellers
have produced a wealth of imitation greenbacks (more than 270
types of motion picture, other theatrical prop money—including nearly
2,000 sub-varieties).
Thomas J. Sargent, Francois R. Velde (2002).
The Big Problem of
Small Change. (Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 405 p.).
Economics Professor (Stanford), Officer (Federal Reserve Bank of
Chicago). Money--Europe--History; Coins--Europe--History;
Mints--Europe--History.
Anna Jacobson Schwartz (1987).
Money in Historical Perspective.
(Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press, 442 p.). Money--History;
Money--Great Britain--History; Monetary policy; Gold
standard--History.
Georg Simmel; edited by David Frisby; translated by Tom Bottomore
and David Frisby from a first draft by Kaethe Mengelberg (1990).
The Philosophy of Money. (Boston, MA: Routledge & Kegan Paul,
537 p. [2nd enl. ed.]). Money.
Robert Sobel (2000).
The Pursuit of Wealth: The Incredible Story
of Money Throughout the Ages. (New York, NY: McGraw-Hill, 347 p.).
Money--History; Investments--History.
Peter Spufford (1988).
Money and Its Use in Medieval Europe.
(New York, NY: Cambridge University Press, 467 p.).
Money--Europe--History; Numismatics, Medieval--Europe;
Europe--Economic conditions--To 1492.
David Tripp (2004).
Illegal Tender: The Mystery of the Lost
Double Eagle. (New York, NY: Free Press, 320 p.). Former Head of
Sotheby’s Coin Department. Double eagle (Coin)--History.
Irwin Unger (1964).
The Greenback Era; A Social and Political
History of American Finance, 1865-1879. (Princeton, NJ: Princeton
University Press, 467 p.). Greenbacks--History; Currency
question--United States--History; United States--Politics and
government--1865-1877. Winner of Pulitzer Prize in History.
Deborah Valenze (2006).
The Social Life of Money in the English Past. (New York, NY:
Cambridge University Press, 324 p.). Professor of History (Barnard
College, Columbia University). Money--Social
aspects--England--History--18th century; Money--Social
aspects--England--History--17th century; England--Economic
conditions--18th century; England--Economic conditions--17th century;
England--Social conditions--18th century; England--Social
conditions--17th century. Author revises the way we see the advance of
commercial society, shows how
money became involved in relations between people in ways that moved
beyond purely economic functions.
Jack Weatherford (1997).
The History of Money: From Sandstone to
Cyberspace. (New York, NY: Crown Publishers, 288 p.).
Money--History.
William Wiseley (1977).
A Tool of Power: The Political History
of Money. (New York, NY: Wiley, 401 p.). Money--History;
International finance--History.
__________________________________________________
Video (2001).
The Story of Money (A & E Home Video, 2 VHS Tapes). Humorous
and informative look at how money moves the world.
Video (2004).
Money: What It Is; How It Works. (Huntsville, TX: Educational
Video Network, Inc., 80 min. DVD). Money--History; Money--uses.
Origins of money, what it stands for, how it fuels the modern economic
system.
Video (2004).
Understanding Money and Inflation. (Huntsville, TX:
Educational Video Network, Inc., 71 min. DVD). Money --creation;
inflation. Explains inflation, creation of money, regulation of the
economy.
__________________________________________________
LINKS:
American Currency Exhibit
http://www.frbsf.org/currency/index.html
Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco's American Currency Exhibit.
American Numismatic Association Money Museum
http://www.money.org/Content/NavigationMenu/
ExploretheWorldofMoney/MoneyMuseum/default.htm
Explores art, history, science and much more to promote the diverse
nature of money and related items. Museum collection consists of over
250,000 objects encompassing the history of numismatics from the
earliest invention of money to modern day. The objects include paper
money, coins, tokens, medals, exonumia, and traditional money from all
over the world. Some of the highlights from the collection include
individual rarities such as the 1804 dollar, the 1913 'V' Nickel, the
1866 no motto series, and the Aubrey E. and Adeline I. Bebee collection
of United States paper money.
The Leslie Brock Center for the Study of Colonial Currency
http://etext.lib.virginia.edu/users/brock/
Decades before the American revolution, each of the colonies issued
their own paper money. These monetary experiments embroiled the
colonies in controversy, fueling political disputes both within the
colonies and between the colonies and England. These experiments also
raised fundamental economic questions, such as how paper money
influences prices, exchange rates, economic growth, and the balance of
trade. Almost three centuries later, these issues remain unsettled,
and continue to spark controversy. Bureau of Engraving
http://www.moneyfactory.gov
Largest producer of security documents in the United States. The BEP
prints billions of Federal Reserve Notes for delivery to the Federal
Reserve System each year (the BEP does not produce coins – all coinage
is minted by the United States Mint). These notes are produced at our
facilities in Washington, DC, and Fort Worth, Texas. In addition to U.S.
currency, the BEP produces several other security documents such as
portions of U.S. passports, materials for Homeland Security, military
identification cards, and Immigration and Naturalization Certificates.
All products are designed and manufactured with advanced counterfeit
deterrence features to ensure product integrity. The BEP also advises
other Federal agencies on document security matters. In addition, the
BEP processes claims for the redemption of mutilated currency. The BEP’s
research and development efforts focus on the continued use of
automation in the production process and counterfeit deterrent
technologies for use in security documents, especially United States
currency.
Tom Chao's paper Money Gallery
http://tomchao.com/
This site is all about paper money. Most people associate money with
earning and spending. Very few consider money as an art object or a
collectable item. Only in the last several years has paper money
collecting as a hobby become more popular. Modern banknotes are very
attractive and colorful, especially in uncirculated conditions favored
by collectors. entire collection: 1739* different banknotes; 298*
countries; 984 web pages; 3600+ pictures.
Coin & Conscience: Popular Views of Money, Credit and
Speculation
http://www.library.hbs.edu/hc/cc/
This exhibit features historical images (from the 16th through the 19th
centuries) depicting themes related to money and finance, such as
bankers, stock exchanges, the "money devil," credit and speculation,
"misers, moneylenders, and thieves," love and money, and "vanity and
virtue: allegories on the pursuit of riches." View images by theme or
artist. Includes an introduction to the collection and a selected
bibliography. From the Bleichroeder Collection at the Baker Library,
Harvard Business School.
Coins and History of Asia
http://www.grifterrec.com/coins/coins.html
Information and scans of over 2100 coins of Near Eastern, Persian,
Indian, Central Asian and Chinese history from 600 BC to 1600 AD.
Colonial
Currency
http://www.coins.nd.edu/ColCurrency/
"Descriptions and images of paper currencies of early America through
the 1790's" (including Continental Congress issues, lottery tickets, and
fiscal documents). Can be browsed by colony/state. Also features essays on
the first printed currency (1690), Bills of Credit, Land Office Banks,
devaluation, the Copper Panic, the value of money in Colonial America,
the 1702 London Mint Assay, legal tender, and indenting. From the
University of Notre Dame, Department of Special Collections. Subjects:
Paper money...
The Current Value of Old Money
http://eh.net/hmit/
The Current Value of Old Money,
created by Roy Davies, a science librarian at the University of Exeter, provides annotated links to an
array of Websites that help answer the question "How much would a
specified amount of money at a certain period of time be worth today?"
The annotated links contain more than just simple calculators,
encompassing a rich variety of resources including data tables,
research papers, and electronic mailing list archives on the question.
The site also provides an informative bibliography of print resources
on the topic of inflation.
First Spouse 24-Karat Coin Program
http://www.usmint.gov/mint_programs/firstSpouse/
Details about the U.S. Mint program "honoring our Nation's First Spouses
by issuing one-half ounce $10 gold coins featuring their images, in the
order that they served as first spouse, beginning in 2007 with Martha
Washington, Abigail Adams, (Thomas Jefferson's Liberty), and Dolley
Madison." Provides images of the coins, biographies of the first
spouses, and information about issue dates and coin features. From the
United States Mint.
Gallery Mint Museum
http://www.gallerymint.com/
Private mint, whose mission is to build a permanent museum showing the
evolution of coin-making technology from ancient Greece through the
Industrial Revolution - museum will exhibit the entire minting process,
with full-scale equipment, including a water wheel for generating power
and a huge furnace for melting silver and copper.
The Higgins Museum of National Bank Notes
www.thehigginsmuseum.org.
Opened in 1978, the purpose of this museum is to acquire, preserve and
display the notes and artifacts of the National Banks... and pertinent
reference materials relating to the National Bank Note issuance era for
educational purposes. 496 National Banks in 300 Iowa Communities issued
National Bank Notes during the Period 1863-1935. The most complete state
collection of National Bank Note issues ever assembled for a major
state, with 278 of the state's 300 communities of issue represented.
History of the Dollar Sign
http://www.ex.ac.uk/~RDavies/arian/dollar.html
The Word "Dollar" and the Dollar Sign $: Origins, History and Geography
of Dollar Currencies.
History of Money from Ancient Times to Present Day
http://www.ex.ac.uk/~RDavies/arian/llyfr.html
Monetary history in context from the dawn of civilization to the
beginning of the twenty first century.
Museum of Money & Financial Institutions
www.museumofmoney.org
Aimed at public education in economics in general with a stress on
explaining the importance of money and financial institutions in guiding
personal, business and government activities.
History of the United States Mint
http://www.usmint.gov/about_the_mint/mint_history/ index.cfm?action=Intro
Money Museum (Kansas City Fed)
http://www.kansascityfed.org/pubaffrs/money.htm
The museum tells the story of money - from the settler’s early bartering
system to U.S. currency’s humble beginnings – when banks throughout the
Union produced their own currency – to the present day – where more and
more business is being conducted through electronic means. The
centerpiece of the Money Museum is the Truman Coin Collection, which
includes over 450 coins dating all the way back to George Washington's
presidential administration. Samples of historic currency supplement the
coin collection and help to re-create the events and personalities that
have come to shape our nation's money.
Presidential $1 Coin Program
http://www.usmint.gov/mint_programs/$1coin/
"The United States is honoring our Nation's Presidents by issuing $1
circulating coins featuring their images in the order that they served,
beginning with Presidents Washington, Adams, Jefferson and Madison in
2007. The United States Mint will mint and issue four Presidential $1
coins per year." Features a coin release schedule, coin images (and edge
lettering), and material about coinage legislation and U.S. Mint
directors during each presidential term. From the U.S. Mint.
Tax History Museum
www.tax.org/museum
Virtual museum of United States tax history - provides a synthetic
overview of the history of American taxation. Incorporating both
narrative text and multimedia source materials, the museum offers a
concise summary of American revenue policy and politics.
United States Money: A Guide to Information Sources
http://www.loc.gov/rr/business/money/money_index.html
"This guide covers selected resources on the history of money in the
United States from colonial times to the present." Topics include paper
money, coins, associations and government agencies, pages for children,
and museums and exhibits. Most listings are for websites; includes a few
print suggestions. From the Library of Congress, Business Reference
Services.
U. S. Mint Tours
http://www.usmint.gov/mint_tours
Virtual Catalog of Roman Coins (VCRC)
http://artemis.austinc.edu/acad/cml/rcape/vcrc/ The VCRC contains images and descriptions of coins from the Early
Republic through the end of the fourth century A.D. and the formal
division of the Roman Empire into east and west. Browse by decades for
the republic and by emperor/empress for the empire, or search for
specific features such as individuals, deities, and inscriptions.
Subjects: Coins, Roman... Woden Nickel Historical Museum
http://www.wooden-nickel.net/
History of wooden money in the U. S.
World Currency Museum
http://www.banknotes.com/images.htm
Gallery of thousands of images of banknotes world-wide. |