Currency is a word you may not have heard, and if you did hear it did you understand what it meant? Currency is issued by governments to exchange for goods and services. In other words, currency is money. We exchange money for things we want and need. Some of us have heard the phrase, “Money doesn’t grow on trees!”, but where does it come from? Did it always look the way it does now? Modern society relies on money in every aspect of our lives. Not all countries have the same currency and not all currencies are worth the same amount of money. That’s a little confusing isn’t it?

Before money came along there was something called bartering. Bartering is when you trade one thing for another. You are still giving something to get something back just like spending money at the store. A good example of this is what if you are sick and need to see a doctor but there is no money to pay for the doctor. At one time doctors traded for things they might need. The doctor might need food, or work done on his house. He would trade the patient to get what he needed and the patient would get medical services. Bartering has been around for a very long time. Archaeologists have found evidence of bartering systems from 8,000 years ago. One very good example comes from Native American archaeology. In some coastal Native American ruins turquoise from Arizona and New Mexico was found and the coastal beads and seashells were found inland. Bartering still happens today. What if someone has a Pokemon card you really want? Would you trade for it? Would you trade three cards for that one you really want? 

Bartering was not always easy and carrying chickens over to the doctor’s office might not work out too well. This led people to do what people do; someone invented money. It was easier to carry around and lets be honest, money smells a lot better than livestock any day. In about 600 BC coins started appearing in Greece. It was not long after that when the Romans started making coins and the idea spread like a wildfire. The first coins looked like ours but not as perfectly made. The forms had carved images inside and very hot, melted metal was poured into them. Can you imagine your only job is to heat metal up enough to become liquid, and then pour it into a form? How many coins do you think they made in one day? Today our coins are stamped out, or minted so they all look alike. The United States has four mints. The mint in Philadelphia can make up to 32 million coins every day, or 13 billion coins every year.

Some countries share currency. For example there are 20 countries on the European continent that share currency. Their currency is called the Euro. Italy, France, Spain and Germany are four of those countries. The Euro is the second most used currency in the world. Most other countries like the United States have their own currency. The most commonly used currency is the United States dollar. It has been in the number 1 position since WWII. 

Understanding money is very important in today's world. Everything you need to live costs money. Without money would you have a house, food or clothing? Would you have your gaming system, computer or phone? It is not only important to understand the value of money but also the value of what money buys. Once you learn all about money you learn how important it is to save your money and spend it wisely.