One of the most striking and memorable scenes of the film “Cabaret” is the performance of Liza Minnelli, who, together with her stage partner, sings: “Mark, yen, dollar or pound, That ringing metallic sound is all that makes the world go round” Without coins and paper bills it is difficult to imagine modern life How true is the saying “Money is everything”? Is their importance exaggerated? Everyone is invited to answer these and other questions on April 17, which is considered the date of celebration of Money Day
Stones and cowrie shells began to be used to pay for goods back in the 7th century BC Pacific Islanders, ancient Chinese, Indians and Africans In Rus', their own copper money appeared at the end of the 10th century Before this, gold and silver coins were brought from Byzantium and exchanged for furs The first silver bar, called the ruble, was minted in Nizhny Novgorod Its half began to be called half Paper money appeared under Catherine II In appearance, the banknotes, as they were called, resembled promissory notes
Over time, all countries of the world began to regulate the printing of banknotes and minting of coins, assigning them status and significance Only the central bank of the state has the right to issue money He also sets their denomination, the exchange rate of the national currency and other parameters of the circulation of financial resources The materials for the production of paper money are cotton, flax and abaca - a textile banana Some banknotes have plastic and fabric threads added to them Coins are minted from alloys of precious metals, copper, aluminum, nickel, zinc, palladium and platinum
In honor of Money Day, lectures, trainings and seminars, exhibitions of coins and banknotes are held They are attended by numismatists and bonistas - collectors who collect paper banknotes At exhibitions you can find unique specimens, for example, a Soviet half-kopeck coin minted in the 1920s The cost of such copies is many times higher than their face value In 1991, the Bank of Russia introduced a 150-ruble coin into use Numismatists estimate it today at 40 thousand rubles
The initiators of the unusual celebration claim that the first sale and purchase transaction was carried out on April 17, without specifying, however, in what century this happened This fact does not detract from the importance of Money Day, which is intended to emphasize that the material side of life is not the most important thing Banknotes should be a means to achieve a goal, and not vice versa They cannot buy health, true friendship and love A group of enthusiasts draws attention to this by establishing an unusual holiday - Money Day