In 1896, the United States decided to turn its money into a canvas. Explore the history of the Educational Series, a short-lived set of silver certificates featuring sweeping, edge-to-edge murals that were deemed too beautiful—and too controversial—to survive.
In 1923, it took a wheelbarrow full of cash just to buy a loaf of bread in Germany. Explore the numismatic legacy of the Weimar Republic’s hyperinflation, from emergency porcelain coins (Notgeld) to the legendary 1 Billion Mark coin.
Before the Civil War, local Michigan towns and “Wildcat Banks” printed their own beautiful paper money. Learn the chaotic history behind Obsolete Banknotes, why most of them became worthless paper, and why they are highly prized by local collectors today.