Through the Lens of History – Vision 13: “Gold and Silver Pieces? Exactly” Money, Part I

Through the Lens of History: Using History for Better Gaming
Vision 13: “Gold and Silver Pieces?  Exactly.”
Money, Part I

The best things in life are free
But you can give them to the birds and bees
I want money

-“Money (That’s What I want)” by the Flying Lizards

Money is such an interesting concept, yet we rarely think about it.  Pieces of printed paper and minted coins have been imbued with a value far exceeding the material or artistic value of the items involved.  But it is only recently that the value of money has become divorced from the value of some item; usually the precious metal that the money either was made from or represented.  For example, silver dollars were once made of silver, and the value of a coin was usually relative to the amount of metal it was made from.  As a note, bullion is bulk metal, valued by weight alone.

This Lens will take a brief look at the origin of coins, coinage and some other monetary systems.  Money and coinage is a subject the Lens will return to.

Part I – The History