Portal:Money

The Money Portal

Euro coins and banknotes

Money is any item or verifiable record that is generally accepted as payment for goods and services and repayment of debts, such as taxes, in a particular country or socio-economic context. The primary functions which distinguish money are: medium of exchange, a unit of account, a store of value and sometimes, a standard of deferred payment.

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.

The money supply of a country comprises all currency in circulation (banknotes and coins currently issued) and, depending on the particular definition used, one or more types of bank money (the balances held in checking accounts, savings accounts, and other types of bank accounts). Bank money, whose value exists on the books of financial institutions and can be converted into physical notes or used for cashless payment, forms by far the largest part of broad money in developed countries. (Full article...)

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The Barber coinage consists of a dime, quarter, and half dollar designed by United States Bureau of the Mint Chief Engraver Charles E. Barber. They were minted between 1892 and 1916, though no half dollars were struck in the final year of the series.

By the late 1880s, there were increasing calls for the replacement of the Seated Liberty design, used since the 1830s on most denominations of silver coins. In 1891, Mint Director Edward O. Leech, having been authorized by Congress to approve coin redesigns, ordered a competition, seeking a new look for the silver coins. As only the winner would receive a cash prize, invited artists refused to participate and no entry from the public proved suitable. Leech instructed Barber to prepare new designs for the dime, quarter, and half dollar, and after the chief engraver made changes to secure Leech's endorsement, they were approved by President Benjamin Harrison in November 1891. Striking of the new coins began the following January. (Full article...)

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The ruble or rouble (/ˈruːbəl/; Russian: рубль, romanized: rubl', IPA: [rublʲ]) was the currency of the Soviet Union. It was introduced in 1922 and replaced the Imperial Russian ruble. One ruble was divided into 100 kopecks (копейка, pl. копейки – kopeyka, kopeyki). Soviet banknotes and coins were produced by the Federal State Unitary Enterprise (or Goznak) in Moscow and Leningrad.

In addition to regular cash rubles, other types of rubles were also issued, such as several forms of convertible ruble, transferable ruble, clearing ruble, Vneshtorgbank cheque, etc.; also, several forms of virtual rubles (called "cashless ruble", безналичный рубль) were used for inter-enterprise accounting and international settlement in the Comecon zone. (Full article...)

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Did you know -

... that Starbucks raised money for HIV/AIDS research using their red holiday cups?
... that a nuclear reactor was nearly built at the New York Hall of Science, but the money for the institution instead went to Yankee Stadium?
... that a TV station in Windsor, Ontario, was spared from closure even though it lost money for ten consecutive years?
... that Everyone Hates Elon invited members of the public to destroy a Tesla Model S to raise money for food banks?
... that Colin Stubs spent the prize money from his first international tennis title on an old Volkswagen to travel around Europe?
... that American first lady Lou Henry Hoover secretly sent money to families in need during the Great Depression?
... that modernist architect Paul Rudolph was said to have run out of money three times while designing the Modulightor Building?
... that the first women's dormitory built at Hampton University was partially paid for with money collected by the school's choir in tours led by Thomas P. Fenner?

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General images -

The following are images from various currency-related articles on Wikipedia.

Image 1Punch-marked coins discovered from Chandraketugarh. (from Punch-marked coins)
Image 2Tibetan "gaden" Tangka, undated (ca. AD 1840), reverse (from Tibetan tangka)
Image 3Huizi currency, issued in 1160 (from Money)
Image 4Printing paper money at a printing press in Perm (from Money)
Image 5Undated Kelzang tangka (1910), reverse (from Tibetan tangka)
Image 6Gold coins are an example of legal tender that are traded for their intrinsic value, rather than their face value. (from Money)
Image 7A 1914 British gold sovereign (from Money)
Image 8Silver, ½ Karshapana coin, “Babyal Hoard” type, of the Kuru Janapada (450 BC - 315 BC) (from Punch-marked coins)
Image 9Sino Tibetan silver tangka, dated 58th year of Qian Long era, obverse. Weight 5.57 g. Diameter: 30 mm (from Tibetan tangka)
Image 10A hoard of mostly Mauryan punch-marked coins (from Punch-marked coins)
Image 11Tibetan silver tangka with Ranjana (Lantsa) script, dated 15-28 (= AD 1894), reverse (from Tibetan tangka)
Image 12Undated Kelzang tangka (1910), obverse (from Tibetan tangka)
Image 13A 640 BC one-third stater electrum 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 14Ancient Jewish coin, engraved menorah, from the Hasmoneon kingdom 37-40 BCE (from Money)
Image 15US dollar banknotes (from Money)
Image 16A person counts a bundle of different Swedish banknotes. (from Money)
Image 17Song Dynasty Jiaozi, the world's earliest paper money (from Money)
Image 18Tibetan undated silver tangka (2nd half of 18th century) with eight times the syllable "dza" in vartula script, reverse (from Tibetan tangka)
Image 19Sino Tibetan silver tangka, dated 58th year of Qian Long era, reverse. Weight 5.57 g. Diameter: 30 mm (from Tibetan tangka)
Image 20Tenga of Muhammad Khudayar Khan, struck at the Kokand mint, dated 1862–1863 (from Kokand tenga)
Image 21A check, used as a means of converting funds in a demand deposit to cash (from Money)
Image 22President J. K. Paasikivi illustrated in a former Finnish 10 mark banknote from 1980 (from Money)
Image 23Tibetan "gaden" Tangka, undated (ca. AD 1840), obverse (from Tibetan tangka)
Image 24Tibetan undated silver tangka, struck in 1953/54, reverse. (from Tibetan tangka)
Image 25Euro banknotes and coins (from Money)
Image 26Tibetan kong par tangka, dated 13-45 (= AD 1791), reverse (from Tibetan tangka)
Image 27Tibetan undated silver tangka (2nd half of 18th century) with eight times the syllable "dza" in vartula script, obverse (from Tibetan tangka)
Image 28Tibetan silver tangka with Ranjana (Lantsa) script, dated 15-28 (= AD 1894), obverse (from Tibetan tangka)
Image 29Tibetan kong par tangka, dated 13-45 (= AD 1791), obverse (from Tibetan tangka)
Image 30“Babyal Hoard” type, of the Kuru Janapada (350 - 315 BCE) (from Punch-marked coins)
Image 31Money Base, M1 and M2 in the U.S. from 1981 to 2012 (from Money)
Image 32Paper money from different countries (from Money)
Image 33"Bent bar" of the Gandhara Janapda unearthed with Achaemenid and Greek coins, Gandhara, c.350 BC. (from Punch-marked coins)
Image 34Tibetan undated silver tangka, struck in 1953/54, obverse. (from Tibetan tangka)
Image 35Banknotes of different currencies with a face value of 5000 (from Money)

In the news

26 June 2025 – Anti–money laundering § United States, War on drugs § Mexico: The Comisión Nacional Bancaria y de Valores temporarily takes over the management of CIBanco, Intercam Banco, and Vector Casa de Bolsa following allegations of money laundering for drug cartels. (El País)
25 June 2025 – Anti–money laundering § United States, War on drugs § Mexico: Mexican banks CIBanco, Intercam Banco, and Vector Casa de Bolsa—the latter owned by Alfonso Romo, former Chief of Staff to President Andrés Manuel López Obrador—are sanctioned by the United States government over alleged money laundering for drug cartels. Mexican president Claudia Sheinbaum requests that the U.S. government provide evidence. (MSN) (Al Jazeera) (Forbes)
28 May 2025 – Corruption in Albania: Former Albanian president Ilir Meta is formally charged with corruption, money laundering, tax evasion, and concealing property from authorities. The charges were detailed in a report from anti-corruption prosecutors. Meta was arrested in October. (AP)

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