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.