Citi Money Gallery Education Programme History of Money Image Bank Supported by Citi

Cowrie shells. From China; Shang and Zhou dynasty, 16th-8th century BC Museum number: CM 1952-10-29-24

Electrum 1/6stater; Lydian, about 650-600 BC Electrum 1/6stater; Lydian, about 650-600 BC. From western modern Turkey. One of the very earliest coins. Museum number: CM BMC Lydia 6

Bronze hollow handle spade money Bronze hollow handle spade money. From Jin state, China; Eastern Zhou dynasty, 5th century BC Museum number: CM 1996-6-12-1

Gold aureus of emperor Claudius; AD 46-47; minted at Rome, Italy Museum number: 1863,0501.1

Silver penny of Eric Bloodaxe. Viking, AD 947-54; York, England. Museum number: CM SCBI 1228; BMC II, p.238, no.1112

Great Ming Circulating Treasure Note from China Great Ming Circulating Treasure Note from China. Ming dynasty, first issued AD 1375. Museum number: CM 1942-8-5-1

Pieces of eight. Potosi, Bolivia, AD 1589-1598 Pieces of eight. Potosi, Bolivia, AD 1589-1598. The eight reales coin, or 'piece of eight', was the most common silver coin of late sixteenth and seventeenth century Spain. As trade became a global activity for the first time, it became the international currency. Museum number: CM 1920,0907.382

£5 note, Bank of England. Great Britain, AD 1947 £5 note, Bank of England. Great Britain, AD 1947. The black and white fiver. Museum number: CM 1981-3-8-1

Credit card; issued from United Arab Emirates, 2009 Museum number: 2009,4128.2

Bimetallic £2 coin. Great Britain, AD 1997 Museum number: CM 1999-6-6-1

Money hat from Samu'ah, southern Hebron hills, modern Palestinian Authority, AD 1840s (with later additions). Museum number: 1968.As4.5

Now you have finished… For more information Go to www.britishmuseum.org/money or www.google.com/culturalinstitute/collection/the-british-museum. All images: © The Trustees of the British Museum