Money was historically an emergent market phenomenon that possessed intrinsic value as a commodity; nearly all contemporary money systems are based on unbacked fiat money without use value. Its value is consequently derived by social convention, having been declared by a government or regulatory entity to be legal tender; that is, it must be accepted as a form of payment within the boundaries of the country, for "all debts, public and private", in the case of the United States dollar.
Banknotes of the third Zimbabwean dollar, from $1 to $100 trillion
The banknotes of Zimbabwe were physical forms of Zimbabwe's first four incarnations of the dollar ($ or Z$), from 1980 to 2009. The banknotes of the first dollar replaced those of the Rhodesian dollar at par in 1981, one year after the proclamation of independence. The Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe issued most of the banknotes and other types of currency notes in its history, including the bearer cheques and special agro-cheques ("agro" being short for agricultural) that circulated between 15 September 2003 and 31 December 2008: the Standard Chartered Bank also issued their own emergency cheques from 2003 to 2004.
The obverse of Zimbabwean banknotes (including notes of the current dollar) featured an illustration of the Domboremari, one of the Chiremba Balancing Rocks located near Harare and Epworth: the Domboremari also appeared on bearer and agro-cheques, as part of the Reserve Bank's logo. The reverse often featured the culture or landmarks of the country. (Full article...)
The Silver center cent is an American pattern coin produced by the United States Mint in 1792. As a precursor to the large cent it was one of the first coins of the United States and an early example of a bimetallic coin. Only 12 original examples are known to exist, of which one is located in the National Numismatic Collection at the Smithsonian Institution. Two more specimens (Morris and California) exist but contain fabricated plugs added after minting.
Due to their rarity and historical significance Silver center cents are highly prized by collectors with one graded PCGS MS61 being sold in an online auction in April 2012 for $1.15 million. (Full article...)
... that Russian indie artist polnalyubvi bought her first guitar with money earned from busking with her violin?
... that the manager of WVSS at the University of Wisconsin–Stout spent about $6,000 of his own money to buy more than 500 classical music CDs to program the station?
Image 22A 640 BC one-third staterelectrum coin from Lydia. According to Herodotus, the Lydians were the first people to introduce the use of gold and silver coins. It is thought by modern scholars that these first stamped coins were minted around 650 to 600 BC. (from Money)
Image 25Gold coins are an example of legal tender that are traded for their intrinsic value, rather than their face value. (from Money)
Image 26Athens coin (c. 500/490-485 BC) discovered in Pushkalavati. This coin is the earliest known example of its type to be found so far east. (from Punch-marked coins)