Money Week History of money Coins from the Hoxne Hoard; Roman Britain, buried in the 5th century AD. Found in Hoxne, Suffolk (1992). Museum number: 1994.4-8.1-400 http://www.britishmuseum.org/explore/highlights/highlight_objects/cm/c/coins_from_the_hoxne_hoard.aspx

Cowrie shells. From China; Shang and Zhou dynasty, 16th-8th century BC Museum number: CM 1952-10-29-24 http://www.britishmuseum.org/explore/highlights/highlight_objects/cm/c/cowrie_shells.aspx

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 http://www.britishmuseum.org/explore/highlights/highlight_objects/cm/e/electrum_16_stater.aspx

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 http://www.britishmuseum.org/explore/highlights/highlight_objects/cm/b/bronze_handle_spade_money.aspx

Silver denarius of Augustus; Roman, 2 BC-AD 4 Silver denarius of Augustus; Roman, 2 BC-AD 4. Minted in Lugdunum (modern Lyons, France) Museum number: CM BMC Augustus 533 http://www.britishmuseum.org/explore/highlights/highlight_objects/cm/s/silver_denarius_of_augustus.aspx

Gold aureus of emperor Claudius; AD 46-47; minted at Rome, Italy Museum number: 1863,0501.1 www.britishmuseum.org/explore/highlights/highlight_objects/cm/g/gold_aureus_-_emperor_claudius.aspx

Silver penny of Eric Bloodaxe. Viking, AD 947-54; York, England. Museum number: CM SCBI 1228; BMC II, p.238, no.1112 http://www.britishmuseum.org/explore/highlights/highlight_objects/cm/s/silver_penny_of_eric_bloodaxe.aspx

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 http://www.britishmuseum.org/explore/highlights/highlight_objects/cm/g/great_ming_circulating_treasur.aspx

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 http://www.britishmuseum.org/explore/highlights/highlight_objects/cm/p/pieces_of_eight.aspx

£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 http://www.britishmuseum.org/explore/highlights/highlight_objects/cm/others/%c2%a35_note,_bank_of_england.aspx

Credit card; issued from United Arab Emirates, 2009 Museum number: 2009,4128.2 http://www.britishmuseum.org/explore/highlights/highlight_objects/cm/c/credit_card.aspx

Money hat from Samu'ah, southern Hebron hills, modern Palestinian Authority, AD 1840s (with later additions). Museum number: 1968.As4.5 http://www.britishmuseum.org/explore/highlights/highlight_objects/aoa/m/money_hat.aspx

What does money look like now? Bimetallic £2 coin. Great Britain, AD 1997 Museum number: CM 1999-6-6-1 http://www.britishmuseum.org/explore/highlights/highlight_objects/cm/b/bimetallic_%c2%a32_coin.aspx What does money look like now?

Why would someone deface a coin? Suffragette-defaced penny. United Kingdom, AD 1903 Museum number: CM 1991,0733.1 http://www.britishmuseum.org/explore/highlights/highlight_objects/cm/p/suffragette-defaced_penny.aspx Why would someone deface a coin?

Why wasn’t real money used? Doctor Who Banknote; Cardiff, Wales, 2006 . Prop banknote created for 2006 Christmas Special episode of BBC TV’s Doctor Who. Museum number: 2009,4108.1 http://www.britishmuseum.org/explore/highlights/highlight_objects/cm/d/doctor_who_banknote.aspx Why wasn’t real money used?

Why don’t all coins look the same? Coin spiral display of the national currency of UN recognised countries. The coins spiral alphabetically by country from the centre to the outer edge of the display panel. There are 192 coins in total, with one space representing South Sudan, which issues banknotes but is yet to issue coins, following its independence in 2011. http://www.britishmuseum.org/explore/galleries/themes/room_68_money/impressions_of_nations.aspx Why don’t all coins look the same?

Now you have finished… For more information Go to www.britishmuseum.org/money. All images: © The Trustees of the British Museum