“World of Money” Preview
by DOUGLAS MUDD
National currencies are a powerful tool for learning about the
world and our place in it.
“Money of the World Today: A Portrait of Global Society,”
is open at the ANA Money Museum. The exhibit features a fresh approach
to this fascinating subject, taking visitors on a tour of the
world, continent by continent. The journey’s departure point is
marked by a huge globe, surrounded by world flags and a series of clocks
marking the current time in many capital cities. And, of course,
it’s all accompanied by stunning examples of world coins and paper
money.
As travelers embark on their tour, they will view groups of display
cases representing the world’s continents. Each has a
corresponding panel that explains its political geography,
illustrated with spectacular satellite images of the region.
Examples of the currency of every recognized country of the world
present a colorful collage of designs and images. Along with the amazing
variety of numismatic specimens, visitors will experience the diversity
of our planet’s people and terrain through hundreds of
dramatic images. Not only is effect aesthetically pleasing, but it
also provides a unique educational experience of the world’s
currency and the underlying connections between our national
economies.
To enhance the experience, visitors can purchase a
“passport,” which includes questions that can be answered by
viewing the displays. At each "border," visitors stop at a station to
have their passports stamped, showing that they visited that portion of
the exhibit. The combination of geography and numismatics should provide
an especially powerful and compelling experience for students, perhaps
inspiring a new generation of numismatists interested in the history of
their money and that of their neighbors, and not just the exchange value
of these pieces of cultural, political and social history.
As is usual in the preparation of a new exhibit, the research and
gathering process itself is a learning experience, providing
insights into new areas of numismatics and their connections with other
disciplines. The focus of this exhibit has encouraged me to look at the
images and messages presented on modern currencies from a geographic and
political perspective.
It is clear that money is changing worldwide, from the introduction
of new materials for coins and notes and the use of innovative designs
and color, to the abandonment of coins (and even, in some cases, the
abandonment of national currencies altogether). Such changes
reflect the metamorphoses occurring in our world—the acceptance of
economic and geopolitical realities, and, often, the subordination of
traditional national sovereignties through the formation of
economic and monetary unions. Examples of these phenomena include
countries such as Ecuador, which has made U.S. currency its legal tender
in a practical effort to control its economy.
Also proving the point are the European Monetary Union and
various other official partnerships among African and Caribbean nations.
They require participating states to give up the traditional calling
card of independent nations—a unique currency that reflects
national pride, history and ideology.
I hope that you will have the opportunity to experience “Money
of the World Today” for yourself. I’d like to think
the exhibit will inspire a broader understanding of numismatics and its
relevancy to the contemporary international scene. museum@money.org
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