NEW BOOK: SMALL CHANGE

Since the Greeks of Asia Minor invented coined money in the late seventh century BC, the emphasis throughout history has been to focus on minting higher value pieces, with the production of small denomination coins used by ‘the poorer sorts' often being neglected. Imagine trying to buy an 80p loaf of bread in the corner shop if our currency consisted only of £20 notes. Many people the world over in times past did not have to imagine - this was a conundrum they faced every day.

Human ingenuity being what it is, this inconvenience was resolved in many different ways. Here, Peter Johnson explores these responses, from those which were eminently practical to others which, on first sight, appear somewhat bizarre, if not comical. The spotlight is on Britain, exploring both its official and unofficial coinages, though the dilemmas faced in other countries at points of their history are also covered in this, a social and often local history of small change.

ISBN: 9781445689708
Book Format: Paperback
pages: 96 pages
Publication Date: 15 Aug 2019
Height: 234
Width: 165
Illustrations 180

For more information, or to order, see:
SMALL CHANGE A HISTORY OF EVERYDAY COINAGE (https://www.amberley-books.com/small-change.html)

The production and use of coinage are closely tied to many other aspects of social history, as is demonstrated in this accessible and engaging book. Focusing on smaller denominations, both those produced officially and the ingenious local responses to a lack of small change, it presents an overview of the development of money around the world, before discussing the story in Britain in detail.

The author uses examples of specific coins and tokens to demonstrate his themes, using original photographs with informative captions. Of particular interest is the discussion of the alterations made to coinage as a reflection of the social and political situation, which highlights the insights into other aspects of life offered by numismatics. The work could have benefited from a bibliography, but it succeeds in presenting a succinct and thorough history of Britain's coinage, and through this a history of Britain itself, from AD 150 to the present day.

To read the complete article, see:
Review – Small Change: a history of everyday coinage (https://www.archaeology.co.uk/articles/review-small-change.htm)

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