Money

Money has been used in different forms across the world for over 5,000 years.

The British Museum has one of the largest collections of money in the world, almost one million objects. This includes coins and banknotes as well as other objects that have served as money in different times and different places.

Read on to find out about:

• What is money?
  Discover money across time and place.
• Uses of money
  From paying for wars to giving us our place in society. Find out what money is for.
• How is money made?
  From striking coins to printing notes, see how money is made.
• The origins of coinage
  Coins are perhaps the most familiar form of money, but when did we first start making them and why?
• Fakes and forgeries
  For almost as long as we've been making money, forgers have been copying it. Discover how they are caught and punished.
• Studying money
  Money can tell us so much about the people who make and use it. We'll show you how.

The majority of the Museum’s collection of money is looked after by the staff of the Department of Coins and Medals.

More information about objects featured here (from top)

Electrum 1/6 stater, western modern Turkey