Date Range Last 3 Months 3-6 Months Over 6 Months

Theme 18th Century 19th Century 20th Century 21st Century Banking Corporate History Crashes and Panics Economics Entrepreneurship Financial Markets International Money Wall Street History

 

Current Archive Credit Crisis

January - March 2001

"The Artistry of African Currency," an exhibition from the Smithsonian's National Museum of African Art, features a variety of objects that have been used across Africa to facilitate trade and measure wealth, including jewelry, weapons, tools, shells and coins.

"African Currency" explores the circumstances that supported the past monetary systems of African societies and led to the transformation of plain currencies into objects of beauty. To provide a context for these currencies, the exhibition includes a selection of objects commonly used as mediums of exchange such as cowrie shells, beads and metal objects. The metal currencies -- the main focus of the exhibit -- range from conventional forms to highly valued complex designs executed with skill and artistic sensibility.