The Kids Zone teaches kids about money the way they learn best: by doing and playing. Through fun activities, interactive exhibits and FREE classes, children can pick up basic and advanced concepts - from how to make change to understanding monetary systems. The exhibits teach children about history, geography, trade, art, world cultures and more.
The earliest forms of money were used to create a system of value so that people could compare items they wanted to exchange. This system of value was used for more than just buying or selling things - it became a marker of status, a characteristic that money still has today.
Eventually, someone came up with the idea of using precious metals (gold and silver or their alloys) as money. Beginning in Mesopotamia and Egypt around 4500 years ago, gold and silver began to be traded in the form of metal bars or bits of wire. The next big step occurred when little round lumps of electrum (a naturally occurring alloy of gold and silver) began to be issued to a standard set of weights and marked by the issuer. These became the first coins
Paper currency was the next major step in the evolution of money. Appearing sometime during the 8th century in China, paper money has become the most common form of currency in use today. The possible exception to this is the latest innovation in currency: electronic money.
The American Numismatic Association is a nonprofit educational organization dedicated to educating and encouraging people to study and collect money and related items. The Association serves the academic community, collectors and the general public with an interest in numismatics. The ANA helps all people discover and explore the world of money through its vast array of programs including its education and outreach, museum, library, publications, conventions and seminars.
Dr. George F. Heath of Monroe, Michigan, when not involved in his practice of medicine, gained a knowledge of world history by studying his collection of coins. The obscurity of his little town hampered his efforts to gain additional knowledge of the hobby and to obtain certain specimens for his cabinet, and made meeting fellow numismatists almost impossible. In 1888 his ingenuity was tested when he, alone, printed, published and distributed a four-page leaflet, THE NUMISMATIST, in which he listed his coin needs, advertised duplicates for sale, and discussed numismatic topics.
The little publication found many friends among the few hundred collectors who, like the doctor, were too isolated to take advantage of numismatic societies in large cities such as Boston, Montreal, New York City, Philadelphia and Pittsburgh. These organizations were quite active, but their sphere of influence was limited. As Heath's subscription list increased, it became evident there was a growing need for a society similar to those in the cities, but one that would reach the more isolated, less advanced collector-a national organization of numismatists.
TODAY, ANA HEADQUARTERS houses the largest circulating numismatic library in the world. Books, educational slide programs and instructional videotapes are loaned to members without charge other than postage and insurance. Also on the premises is a museum that includes extensive and ever-growing collections of coins, medals, tokens and paper money. Members may study the items on display and, by prearrangement, can use other museum materials for research purposes.
The virtual collection includes photos and descriptions of the coins owned by the Edward C. Rochette Money Museum.
Learn how money played a central role in the war between the states.
Aubrey Bebee began assembling his world-class collection of U.S. paper money in 1941. The collection eventually grew to include many spectacular rarities, including a Series of 1934 $10,000 Federal Reserve note. By the time he and his wife (and collecting partner), Adeline, donated the collection to the ANA in 1988 it included more than 500 individual notes and numerous uncut sheets.
Additional information about the Association and its activities can be obtained by contacting the American Numismatic Association, 818 North Cascade Avenue, Colorado Springs, CO 80903-3279; telephone 719/632-2646; fax 719/634-4085; or email ana@money.org.
American Numismatic Association members can conveniently use the world's largest numismatic lending library, and its more than 128,000 books, auction catalogs, periodicals, videos, DVDs and slide sets. You can even have these materials shipped to your home for just the cost of postage.
Located at the ANA's Colorado Springs headquarters, the staff lends materials to members all over the world - for just the cost of postage and insurance.
The library is named in honor of Dwight N. Manley, a former Summer Seminar student and one of the association's most generous donor
Access: General Public
Appointment required: False