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NOMISMA
Read history Money history: the world and JapanBubbles, frauds and financial crisesPeople who changed moneyReadingsSee all of Read history
Understand how money works Banks and depositsInterest, prices and exchange ratesCash and digital paymentsHistory's lessons for today's decisionsSee all of Understand how money works
Look at coins Browse by photoImages, letters and materialsCare, storage and tradingSee all of Look at coins
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Read history

Books to read in depth

The NOMISMA books, full of illustrations. From a single coin you come to see the state, credit, war, religion, technology and daily life of its age.

19 published books (Japanese originals). All are available in this language.

Read first

If you are new, start with this book.

Athenian owl (obverse, BC 454–404) Book Grasping the History of Money at a Glance From before the birth of coins to banks and digital payments. We will survey the changes in money through the ages. about 119 min opening pages free; the rest after purchase Read this book →

Four shelves

Shelved by subject. Start from what you want to read.

History of money

From weight to stamp, from stamp to promise. Read the history of money straight through, or Japan alone.

Athenian owl (obverse, BC 454–404) Book Grasping the History of Money at a Glance From before the birth of coins to banks and digital payments. We will survey the changes in money through the ages. about 119 min opening pages free; the rest after purchase Read this book → Electrum trite (obverse, BC 610–560) Book Where Did Money Come From? Tracing the origins of money, from ancient ledgers and metal paid by weight to stamped coins. about 115 min Free sample: What came before money — From clay tablets to the lion's mark Read this book → Electrum trite (obverse, BC 610–560) Book Comparing the Origins of Money We will compare early coinage from Lydia, China, and India, which differed in shape and method of production. about 38 min Free sample: It Is Not Written That It Arose from Barter Read this book → Spanish eight reales (pillar dollar) (obverse, 1768) Book Silver Coins that Crossed the World Potosí, Manila, China, Japan. We will trace the paths where silver was mined, transported, and used. about 35 min opening pages free; the rest after purchase Read this book → The sovereign of 1817 (reverse, 1817) Book Tracing the Era of the Gold Standard How did money tied to gold change trade and banking? We will trace the developments in various countries during the 19th century. about 129 min Free sample: 1816 — A law for gold alone, and the apparatus of four nations Read this book → Wadō Kaichin (obverse, AD 708–) Book The History of Money in Japan — Rice, Coins, Silver Payments in rice and cloth, coins from across the sea, koban and silver. We will trace the history of money in Japan up to the early modern period. about 113 min Free sample: Before Coins — Rice, cloth, interest, and the Jinshin War Read this book →

How money works

Fineness, paper, banks, the end of gold, modern money, law — the workings behind your wallet and your account.

Busto Dollar (obverse, 1778) Book Why the Composition of Gold and Silver Coins Changed We will examine what happened to trade and people's lives when the amount of metal in coins of the same face value changed. about 33 min Free sample: Debasing in Stages—Never All at Once Read this book → One thousand Rentenmark note (obverse, 1 November 1923 (as printed)) Book Why can banknotes be used as money? From notes exchangeable for metal to notes that do not promise exchange. We will compare the systems that support banknotes. about 33 min Free sample: Divided by What You Get Back at the Counter Read this book → Twenty-dollar Federal Reserve note (1914 series) (obverse, 1914 series) Book History of Banks and Credit Transacting with strangers and paying over long distances. At such times, someone verifies the other party and underwrites the risk of non-payment. about 50 min Free sample: The Ladder of Assumption — From Exchange Houses to Central Banks Read this book → Guinea (obverse, AD 1663–1814) Book The People Who Linked and Severed Gold and Paper Money Newton, Ricardo, Nixon. We examine the decisions surrounding the gold standard through the people and the times. about 33 min Free sample: The Man Who Set the Ratio Was a Physicist Read this book → One-dollar Federal Reserve note (current) (obverse, Current (this piece from the 2003A series)) Book Connecting Cash, Deposits, and the Central Bank From account balances to bank ledgers. We examine in detail the connections between lending, settlement, government bonds, and the central bank. about 146 min Free sample: Modern Money — Why are the numbers in a bank account money? Read this book → One-yen aluminium coin (obverse, AD 1955–) Book Japanese Money and Law We will read what the law stipulates about the yen, banknotes, coins, and deposits. about 56 min Free sample: Unit of Currency and Legal Tender — Which Law Makes the Yen the Yen? Read this book →

Famous money crises

Bubbles, frauds, crises. Through one event at a time, see the money problems that come back across the ages.

Rijksdaalder (obverse, 17th century) Book Money, Read Through Events Bubbles, fraud, and financial crises. We will trace how money was accumulated, moved, and lost through cases that really happened. about 483 min Free sample: Tulip Mania 1636–37 Read this book →

How to look at coins and old records

Reading old records, looking at coins, finding out what a coin is, reading laws and account books — useful when you hold a coin in your hand.

Electrum trite (obverse, BC 610–560) Book Coins and Banknotes by Material Gold, silver, copper, paper. We will examine the properties of the materials used for money and the reasons they were chosen. about 337 min Free sample: Before Materials, and the First Alloy — Shell, Clay, Electrum Read this book → Denarius with Caesar's portrait (obverse, 44 BC) Book Deciphering the Images and Text on Coins We will compare portraits, animals, coats of arms, and text to consider what the issuer intended to communicate. about 47 min Free sample: In the Beginning, the Guarantor Was a God Read this book → Pillar dollar (columnario, eight reales) (reverse, 1768) Book How Were Coins Made? Casting metal, hammering, striking with a machine. We will examine the differences in manufacturing methods by looking at the shapes of actual coins. about 32 min opening pages free; the rest after purchase Read this book → Athenian owl (obverse, BC 454–404) Book Examining and Documenting Coins Observe photographs, compare potential attributions and dates, and document the evidence for your research. about 75 min Free sample: Lesson 1: Observation — From photograph to words Read this book → Greenback (one-dollar United States note) (obverse, 1 August 1862 (as printed)) Book Reading Articles and Ledgers Learn the method of comparing the same coins or systems with those of other countries and eras to investigate the reasons for their differences. about 208 min Free sample: Overview of the Archives — Reading the Seventy Records by Their Columns Read this book → Wadō Kaichin (obverse, AD 708–) Book Is It Really True? Checking History We re-examine the origins of money and famous anecdotes, comparing them with historical records and actual artifacts. about 88 min free in full Read this book →

In order of issue

From book 1 to book 19, in the order they appeared.
  1. Is It Really True? Checking History　Book 1・E1
  2. Silver Coins that Crossed the World　Book 2・C06
  3. Why the Composition of Gold and Silver Coins Changed　Book 3・B03
  4. Comparing the Origins of Money　Book 4・B01
  5. The People Who Linked and Severed Gold and Paper Money　Book 5・C11
  6. Why can banknotes be used as money?　Book 6・B11
  7. Deciphering the Images and Text on Coins　Book 7・E5
  8. History of Banks and Credit　Book 8・B12
  9. How Were Coins Made?　Book 9・B09
  10. Connecting Cash, Deposits, and the Central Bank　Book 10・B19
  11. Where Did Money Come From?　Book 11・A01
  12. Coins and Banknotes by Material　Book 12・B02
  13. Examining and Documenting Coins　Book 13・E9
  14. Tracing the Era of the Gold Standard　Book 14・A06
  15. Reading Articles and Ledgers　Book 15・E10
  16. The History of Money in Japan — Rice, Coins, Silver　Book 16・A11
  17. Grasping the History of Money at a Glance　Book 17・A00
  18. Japanese Money and Law　Book 18・B17
  19. Money, Read Through Events　Book 19・E11

Recommended reading orders by goal are on this page →