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Period: 650 BCE to 600 BCE
Mesopotamian shekel- The earliest known currency
The earliest known mints date to 650 and 600 B.C. in Asia Minor, where the elites of Lydia and Ionia used stamped silver and gold coins to pay armies. -
800
The start of Pound sterling
The pound sterling emerged after the adoption of the Carolingian monetary system -
997
Chinese Jiaozi
Promissory notes known as "Jiaozi" were printed by a group of merchants in Sichuan during the reign of Emperor Zhenzong -
1158
Tealby penny (Penny of Henry)
The penny was struck from 92.5 silver and contained 20.82 grams of fine silver. -
1464
The bullion famine
The Great Bullion Famine and the Great Slump of the mid-15th century resulted in another reduction in the English penny to 12 grains sterling silver (0.719 g fine silver) and the introduction of a new half-angel gold coin of 40 grains (2.578 g), worth 1⁄6th pound or 40 pence. -
U.S currency
The currency of the United States was based around the Spanish dollar (piece of eight) -
¨In God We Trust¨
The inclusion of the motto, "In God We Trust," on all currency was required by law in 1955, and first appeared on paper money in 1957 -
Cryptocurrency
Bitcoin was the first and most popular form of cryptocurrency. Bitcoin has had multiple variations, including the joke currency Dogecoin (0.14 USD today) -
Non-fungible token (NFT)
Non-fungible tokens are non-interchangeable units of data stored on a blockchain which can be stored and traded. NFTs are commonly art pieces that can be easily randomized with multiple variations. The first NFT was Quantum by Kevin McCoy. In 2021, Quantum sold for over $1.4 million in a Sotheby auction. -
NFT criticism
NFTs have been criticized for their large carbon footprint and the immature behaviour of ¨NFT Bros¨ as they are called. NFTs have been seen as mostly get-rich-quick schemes or outright scams and have been mocked with internet jokes and meme in 2021. The meteoric rise of NFTs are most because of the ¨Bored Ape Yacht Club¨ collection