How did Coins get their names?

In the world of coins and money there are many fascinating stories of how things came to get their names. Let's consider just a few of them in this column.We'll start with the word "money" itself. In ancient Roman times, Juno was the goddess of warning. The Romans were so grateful to her for warning them of important dangers, that they put their mint in her temple and made her guardian of the finances. They called her Juno Moneta. "Moneta" came from the Latin word moneo, meaning "to warn". Our word "money" is derived from this.The word "coin" comes from the Latin cuneus, which means "wedge". This is because the dies that made pieces of money looked like wedges.The "dollar" goes back to the days when money was being coined in Bohemia, where there were silver mines. The mint was located in a place called Joachmsthal, so the coins were called Joachimsthaler. In times this became thaler and finally "dollar".The "dime" comes originally from the Latin word desimus, which means "tenth".The "cent" comes directly from the French word cent, which means "one hundred", and the Latin centum. The idea was that one hundred cents make a dollar.The English "pound" comes from the Latin pondo, which means "pound" as a weight. Originally the full expression was libra pondo, or " a pound by weight". By the way, that's where we get our abbreviation for a pound-lb.The Spanish peso and Italian lira also refers to certain weights.The French franc came from the Latin words Francorum Rex, tor "King of the Franks", which appeared on their first coins. Peru has a coin called the sol. This is Spanish name for the sun. As you know, the Incas of Peru worshipped the sun long ago!The words crown, sovereign, krone, kroon, krona, and corona, all used as names of coins in different countries, show that some crown authority first gave permission to make them. In Panama, the balboa is named in honor of the great explorer, and Venezuela has the bolivar after its national hero.

What makes Money valuable?

The idea of having such a thing as money is one of the most fascinating ever developed by man. But many people don't know where this idea came from, or why money is valuable.Thousands of years ago, money was not used. Instead, man had the "barter" system. This meant that if a man wanted something he didn't happen to make or raise himself, he had to find someone who had this article. Then he had to offer him something in exchange. And if the man didn't like what he offered in exchange, he couldn't get his article!In time, certain things came to be used as money because practically everyone would take these things in exchange. For example, cows, tobacco, grains, skins, salt, and beads were all used as money among people tho were always ready to accept them.Eventually, all these varieties of money were replaced by pieces of metal, especially gold and silver. Later on, coins were made of a certain purity and weight, and these represented certain amounts of various objects. So many coins represented a cow, or 20 kilograms of tobacco, and so on.Today, of course, we have bills and coins issued by the Government, and everybody accepts and uses this money. What makes the money valuable, what use does it have for us? There are four chief things that money does for you.First, it makes possible exchange and trade. Suppose you want a bicycle. You're willing to work for it by mowing lawns. But the person for whom you mow the lawn has no bicycles. He pays you with only and you take this to the bicycle shop and but your bicycle. Money made it possible to exchange your work for something you wanted.Second, money is a "yardstick of value". This means money may be used to measure and compare the values of various things. You're willing to mow the lawn for an hour for 1.50 pounds. A bicycle costs 50 pounds. You now have an idea of the value of a bicycle in terms of your work.Third, money is a "storehouse of value". You can't store up your crop of tomatoes, because they're perishable. But if you sell them you can store up the money for future use.Fourth, money serves as a "standard for future payments". You pay 10 pounds down on the bicycle and promise to pay more later. You will not pay in eggs or tomatoes or cricket balls. You and the bicycle shop owner have agreed on exactly what you will pay later. You use money as a form in which later payments can be made.