Collection Tracing the History of Money in the West

Higashiyama

Suppose you wanted to developed a collection that traced the history money and finance in Western culture, and planned to limit youself to the following parameters:


(1) Above twenty coins (you might want to include a few paper items as well)

(2) Perhaps a total outlay averaging no more than $ 1000 per item.


What would the essential items on your list be?

covers

oops ... misread the post

JCMhouston

A greek tetradrachm (I'd really prefer an Anthenian Owl)
Something Roman republic
A French, German and English example from the 11th-12th C.
A piece of Spanish colonial silver and one in gold from the 16th-18th C.
A French Louis XIV gold piece
A George III Guinea or fractional
Something silver from the new issues of George III (post 1816)
17th or 18th C. silver Taler from central Europe (preferably Austrian Empire)
Silver 8R under colonialism from one or more of the various countries
Silver 8R as above but counterstamped for Great Britain
South American 8R after independance from one or more of the previous colonies
Maybe some colonial US coppers, Hibernia penny comes to mind or a Virginia Halfpenny

Then through in some of the western trade pieces ( Dutch and French) and you're at 20. There is also the various siege coinage that would be interesting.

MrEureka

Maybe some colonial US coppers, Hibernia penny comes to mind or a Virginia Halfpenny

I would use a Fugio Cent.

MrEureka

I'd also include:

A piece of Confederate paper.

To represent the Independence and Post-colonial eras in Latin America, a Bolivian 8 Reales with a portrait of Bolivar.

MrEureka

Actually, I think we're answering the wrong question. Tracking the "history of money" is different than tracking "history" through money.

STLNATS

Lots of ways to cut this. This list isn't complete - and there's already more than 20 coins on it - but to focus on the history of money and finance I'd want to consider incorporating:

an electrum piece of Lydia (might bust the budget a little)
tetradrachm of Athens or a stater of Corinth
tetradrachm of Alexander the Great
Roman denarius of the 1st century AD
An antoninianus of Aurelian and bronze follis of the late 3rd century AD (marked XXI would be especially good being early attempts at reforming/restoring the coinage)
a clipped 4th-5th century Roman siliqua
Byzantine gold solidus
Abbasid or Ummayad silver dirhem (heavily used in trade 700-1000), a gold dinar would be nice tooi
Medieval silver "penny" (france, england, italy would be fine)
gold florin from Florence
grosso and/or ducat from Venice
an earlier 16th century german state thaler (eg Saxony)
dutch silver dollar sized coin of late 16th century
spanish colonial cob and pillar dollar. an early Mexico City example of Charles and Joanna would also be great
a piece of swedish plate money
british south seas company (ssc) coin
british bank token of early 1800s
20 franc gold of Napoleon
US trade dollar, 1878 morgan dollar and hard times token
20 franc gold piece of late 19th century Latin Monetary Union
1920s Westphalian inflation token
At least one euro

the good news is that only a couple of these approach the $1k limit and several are $100 or less.