Money has existed for thousands of years, in many forms. Shells, feathers, cattle and even certain rocks were used before metal money, but they lacked durability, or were difficult to subdivide into smaller units. or transport. The discovery of metallurgy,especially of precious metals—copper, silver and gold—began a monetary revolution in Asia, North Africa and Europe during the 2nd millennium BC. Yet metals were initially still weighed and measured at each use, without a fixed form or use as money. The independent invention of coinage in Asia Minor, Northwestern India and China during the mid-1st millennium was a major turning point in the material culture of money. Coinage used the concept of denominations—i.e. pieces of metal with fixed weight and purity—and combined that with marks identifying the issuing authority, making coins easier to use, identify and regulate. Coins became important clues for identifying the cultures that issued them, not anonymous pieces of bullion. Given the large numbers of coins produced over the last 2,600 years and their durability, ensuring a high survival rate, coins are among the most ubiquitous historical artifacts. The long history and vast range of differences in world coinage present numerous curatorial and collection management challenges. Yet coins, when properly assembled, studied, and presented, with an understanding of the symbolism and inscriptions on them, are truly “history in your hands.”
About the Speaker
Douglas Mudd serves as Curator and Director at the American Numismatic Association’s Edward C. Rochette Money Museum in Colorado Springs, Colorado. In this role he is responsible for the development, planning, and content of the Museum’s exhibition program. This involves creating two major numismatic exhibits each year, producing exhibition catalogs, creating traveling exhibits, and producing small exhibits as needed for the museum and for the American Numismatic Association’s coin conventions. His major exhibitions include Barter, Bits, & Dollars: The Money of Colonial America, The Money of the World Today: A Numismatic Perspective of Global Society, The Die is Cast: Money of the Ancient World and Coins, Crown and Conflict, in addition to numerous smaller exhibits, brochures and presentations. He has authored several exhibit catalogs, including All the Money in the World, published in 2006 by Harper Collins as part of the Smithsonianseries of books on collections. He also teaches courses on numismatics at the ANA Summer Seminar and as part of summer programs and regular classes at Colorado College. As Curator, he oversees the organization and care of the ANA collections.
