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The Money Portal

Euro coins and banknotes

Money is any item or verifiable record that is generally accepted as payment for goods and services and repayment of debts, such as taxes, in a particular country or socio-economic context. The primary functions which distinguish money are: medium of exchange, a unit of account, a store of value and sometimes, a standard of deferred payment.

Money was historically an emergent market phenomenon that possessed intrinsic value as a commodity; nearly all contemporary money systems are based on unbacked fiat money without use value. Its value is consequently derived by social convention, having been declared by a government or regulatory entity to be legal tender; that is, it must be accepted as a form of payment within the boundaries of the country, for "all debts, public and private", in the case of the United States dollar.

The money supply of a country comprises all currency in circulation (banknotes and coins currently issued) and, depending on the particular definition used, one or more types of bank money (the balances held in checking accounts, savings accounts, and other types of bank accounts). Bank money, whose value exists on the books of financial institutions and can be converted into physical notes or used for cashless payment, forms by far the largest part of broad money in developed countries. (Full article...)

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A nickel is a five-cent coin struck by the United States Mint. Composed of cupronickel (75% copper and 25% nickel), the piece has been issued since 1866. Its diameter is 0.835 inches (21.21 mm) and its thickness is 0.077 inches (1.95 mm).

The silver half dime, equal to five cents, was issued from 1792 to 1873 before today's cupronickel version. The American Civil War caused economic hardship, driving gold and silver from circulation; in response, in place of low-value coins, the government at first issued paper currency. In 1865, Congress abolished the five-cent fractional currency note after Spencer M. Clark, head of the Currency Bureau (today the Bureau of Engraving and Printing), placed his own portrait on the denomination. After the successful introduction of two-cent and three-cent pieces without precious metal, Congress also authorized a five-cent piece consisting of base metal; the Mint began striking this version in 1866. The initial design of the Shield nickel was struck from 1866 until 1883, then was replaced by the Liberty Head nickel. The Buffalo nickel was introduced in 1913 as part of a drive to increase the beauty of American coinage. (Full article...)

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The guilder (Dutch: gulden, pronounced [ˈɣʏldə(n)] ^ⓘ) or florin was the currency of the Netherlands from 1434 until 2002, when it was replaced by the euro.

The Dutch name gulden was a Middle Dutch adjective meaning "golden", and reflects the fact that, when first introduced in 1434, its value was about equal to (i.e., it was on par with) the Italian gold florin. The Dutch guilder was a de facto reserve currency in Europe in the 17th and 18th centuries. (Full article...)

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... that a special legislative session to deal with the Real Estate Bank of Arkansas was not called because a third of the legislature owed money to the bank?
... that Russian indie artist polnalyubvi bought her first guitar with money earned from busking with her violin?
... that Frankie Saluto was a member of the Ringling Giants, a dwarf baseball team that raised money for charity?
... that barley was once used as a form of money?
... that Neha Pendse, the lead actress of the Marathi film June, contributed some of her own money towards its production?
... that Bull Island was farmed by the Money family for over 100 years before being turned into a wildlife preserve?
... that placekicker Cam Little donated money to a Down syndrome organization for every field goal he made?
... that Russian money, known as qiang tie by locals, was used as legal currency in some regions of China for decades?

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The following are images from various currency-related articles on Wikipedia.

Image 1Tenga of Muhammad Khudayar Khan, struck at the Kokand mint, dated 1862–1863 (from Kokand tenga)
Image 2A hoard of mostly Mauryan punch-marked coins (from Punch-marked coins)
Image 3Tibetan kong par tangka, dated 13-45 (= AD 1791),obverse (from Tibetan tangka)
Image 4Printing paper money at a printing press in Perm (from Money)
Image 5Gold coins are an example of legal tender that are traded for their intrinsic value, rather than their face value. (from Money)
Image 6Tibetan silver tangka with Ranjana (Lantsa) script, dated 15-28 (= AD 1894), obverse (from Tibetan tangka)
Image 7Banknotes of different currencies with a face value of 5000 (from Money)
Image 8Tibetan "gaden" Tangka, undated (ca. AD 1840), reverse (from Tibetan tangka)
Image 9Banknotes and coins (from Money)
Image 10Tibetan undated silver tangka, struck in 1953/54, obverse. (from Tibetan tangka)
Image 11Punch-marked coins discovered from Chandraketugarh. (from Punch-marked coins)
Image 12Tibetan undated silver tangka (2nd half of 18th century) with eight times the syllable "dza" in vartula script,obverse (from Tibetan tangka)
Image 13Tibetan silver tangka with Ranjana (Lantsa) script, dated 15-28 (= AD 1894), reverse (from Tibetan tangka)
Image 14Money Base, M1 and M2 in the U.S. from 1981 to 2012 (from Money)
Image 15A person counts a bundle of different Swedish banknotes. (from Money)
Image 16Sino Tibetan silver tangka, dated 58th year of Qian Long era, reverse. Weight 5.57 g. Diameter: 30 mm (from Tibetan tangka)
Image 17A check, used as a means of converting funds in a demand deposit to cash (from Money)
Image 18Tibetan "gaden" Tangka, undated (ca. AD 1840), obverse (from Tibetan tangka)
Image 19Tibetan undated silver tangka (2nd half of 18th century) with eight times the syllable "dza" in vartula script,reverse (from Tibetan tangka)
Image 20Athens coin (c. 500/490-485 BC) discovered in Pushkalavati. This coin is the earliest known example of its type to be found so far east. (from Punch-marked coins)
Image 21"Bent bar" minted under Achaemenid administration, Gandhara, c.350 BC. (from Punch-marked coins)
Image 22Song Dynasty Jiaozi, the world's earliest paper money (from Money)
Image 23A 640 BC one-third stater electrum coin from Lydia. According to Herodotus, the Lydians were the first people to introduce the use of gold and silver coins. It is thought by modern scholars that these first stamped coins were minted around 650 to 600 BC. (from Money)
Image 24Tibetan undated silver tangka, struck in 1953/54, reverse. (from Tibetan tangka)
Image 25US dollar banknotes (from Money)
Image 26Sino Tibetan silver tangka, dated 58th year of Qian Long era, obverse. Weight 5.57 g. Diameter: 30 mm (from Tibetan tangka)
Image 27Huizi currency, issued in 1160 (from Money)
Image 28Undated Kelzang tangka (1910), obverse (from Tibetan tangka)
Image 29Paper money from different countries (from Money)
Image 30Tibetan kong par tangka, dated 13-45 (= AD 1791),reverse (from Tibetan tangka)
Image 31A 1914 British gold sovereign (from Money)
Image 32President J. K. Paasikivi illustrated in a former Finnish 10 mark banknote from 1980 (from Money)
Image 33Undated Kelzang tangka (1910), reverse (from Tibetan tangka)