TABLE OF CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION
11

CHAPTER 1: OLD MONEY 13

Beyond Barter: Bible Verses about Money Money Talks: Debt Be Not Proud:
A Money Timeline and Finances 94 Money Idioms The History of Bankruptcy
14 36 53 70
32 Things that Have Been A Short History of Banking 38 Proverbs about Money Benjamin Franklin on Money
Used as Money 39 55 72
24
The Rise of the Classical Writers and Money The Gold Standard
14 Ways in Which Money House of Rothschild 57 74
Changed the World 42
26 Investing in Literature: A History of the
A Medieval Price Guide 11 Classic Works Stock Market
7 Ancient Economists 44 60 75
28
Weird Taxes in History 28 Fictional Misers Wall Street Trivia
12 Gods of Money 46 62 78
29
Catch Me if You Can: 4 Aesop’s Fables Where Credit Is Due:
Greek Philosophers on the The 10 Most Famous about Money The History of Credit Cards
Subject of Money Counterfeiting Scandals 64 79
31 48
A History of the Piggy Bank Watchdogs of the Treasury
Lydia, Oh Lydia “This Is a Stickup!”: 65 81
(What We Owe the Lydians) 8 Bank Robbery Firsts
32 50 Shakespeare on Money All about Fort Knox
66 82
The Earliest Coins Wanted: The Highest
33 Rewards Posted for Out- 10 Possible Origins The Art of Money
laws of the Wild West of the Dollar $ign 84
Hammurabi’s Code: 52 68
Penalties and Rewards in Face Value: People Who
Ancient Mesopotamia All that Glitters: Have Appeared on
34 The Lure of Gold American Money
69 87
 INTRODUCTION
he love of it is the root of all
evil, yet it makes the world go
’round. Most of us never seem
to have enough of it, and we
disdain those who do. (“If you
want to know what God thinks
of money,” quipped Dorothy Parker, “just look at
who he gave it to.”) It permeates every aspect of
our existence, yet it’s considered an inappropri-
ate subject in polite conversation. We claim that
it can’t buy happiness, but Donald Trump’s per-
petual smirk belies the point, and of the 685,000
books available on the subject, just about all of
them pretty much focus on how to get your hands
on more of it. This book is the exception.
Instead, we’re looking at money from all of
its angles—the historical, the cultural, the per-
sonal, and the off-the-wall. Money is at the cen-
ter of our lives. We spend more time pursuing
money than we spend on any other activity. It
keeps us up at night, busy during the day, and
(too) often accounts for how we define ourselves.
Yet the fact is that most of us fear money for the
simple reason that we don’t understand it.
“Money is . . . a hugely emotional, psycho-
logical, and symbolic entity in our lives,” says
psychotherapist Kate Levinson, Ph.D., in her
“Emotional Currency” workshops. “We each bring
our own meanings, emotions, and experiences to
our relationship with it.” Yet facing our fears of it
and learning how it works can reveal more to us
than the mechanics of money. “It’s an incredibly
good vehicle for seeing our issues and vulner-
abilities because it touches on almost all aspects
of life and it reveals deep parts of our psyches,
including our needs, fears, and desires,” says
Levinson. Thus, in learning about money, we learn
about ourselves.
The lessons come not a moment too soon.
At the time of this writing, the world has been
plunged into an economic recession that has
affected every aspect of our society. As faith in
the workings of the government are eroded, now
more than ever we each need to take responsibil-
ity for our well-being and for our futures. At the
very least, we need to make peace with money.
Learning about how it came to be, what it means,
how it works, and what happens when it doesn’t
is a good first step in that direction.
“Information about money has become almost
as important as money itself.” —Walter Wriston,
former chair and CEO of Citicorp/Citibank
CHAPTER 1: OLD MONEY  | 011
 HOW TO READ A ONE-DOLLAR BILL
Front: The black seal to the left
of the portrait is the Federal
Reserve Seal and Letter. The
green seal to the right is the
U.S. Treasury Seal. The four
black numbers near the corners
are Federal Reserve Numbers.
Back: The pyramid on the dollar
bill is a Freemason emblem.
The eye in the triangle is a symbol
of God.
The motto “Annuit Coeptis” is
usually translated as “He hath
smiled on our undertakings.”
“Novus Ordo Seclorum” means
“a new order of the centuries.”
The unfinished pyramid stands for
permanence and strength and is
unfinished to symbolize the future
growth of the United States.
The year “1776” in Roman
numerals appears at the base
of the pyramid.
The various little numbers and
letters on the front and back are
check letters, face plate letters,
quadrant numbers, and back
plate numbers. They are used to
identify the printing plates and
the position of the note on the
printing plate.
The right-hand side roundel shows
the coat of arms of the United States.
Some people say they see an owl
in the upper left-hand corner of the
“1” encased in the “shield,” and a
spider hidden in the front upper
right-hand corner.
The U.S. Treasury Seal that appears
on the front of the bill and to the right
of George Washington depicts a key,
representing security.
The number 13 (corresponding
to the thirteen colonies) figures
prominently on the $1 bill:
» The number of letters and digits
in 1776 and its Roman
numeral equivalent MDCCLXXVI
adds up to 13.
» The dollar has 13 stars above
the eagle.
» There are 13 steps on the pyramid.
» There are 13 letters in “Annuit
Coeptis.”
» There are 13 vertical bars on
the shield.
» The top of the shield has 13 horizon-
tal stripes.
» You can count 13 leaves on
the olive branch.
» There are 13 berries on the
olive branch.
» The dollar bill also features
13 arrows.
CHAPTER 2: NEW MONEY  | 203