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Ages 7+ · Money · The story of money
The first coins
Lumps of metal,all differentsizesWeigh each one:slowA lion isstamped onround discsEveryone truststhe mark
From lumps to coins.
The big ideaA coin is a piece of metal with a mark everyone trusts.

How it works

Long ago in Lydia, people paid with lumps of metal. Every lump was a different size, so a trader had to weigh each one.

The king had round discs made that all weighed the same, and a lion was stamped on each one. The mark meant the weight was right.

Now people could trust a coin without weighing it, and coins passed from hand to hand.

Soon other lands made coins too, with their own marks. It began about 2600 years ago.

A lump of metal• Every one a different size• Weigh it every time• SlowA stamped coin• Every one the same weight• The mark says it is right• Quick to use
A lump or a stamped coin.
⚖️weigh a lump🦁the lion stamp🪙a coin
How coins began.

Example 1: Weighing a lump

  1. A customer brings a lump of pale gold.
  2. Kito puts it on one side of his scales.
  3. He adds little stones to the other side until the scales balance.
  4. It takes a long time.

Example 2: Making a coin

  1. A smith makes a round disc of metal.
  2. Every disc weighs the same.
  3. The hammer presses a lion into the disc.
  4. The lion is the king's mark.

Example 3: Using a coin

  1. Kito sees a coin stamped with a lion.
  2. The mark means the weight is right, so he does not weigh it.
  3. The baker passes it to a farmer, who passes it to a potter.

Example 4: Which would people trust?

  1. A lump with no mark has to be weighed every time.
  2. A clay disc cracks in a purse.
  3. A metal disc with a lion mark is trusted at once.

Words to know

coin
A piece of metal with a mark everyone trusts.
smith
The worker who hammers metal into shape.
scales
A tool for weighing things.

Watch out

Try it

  1. What did the smith press into each disc?
  2. What did the lion mark tell people?
  3. Why was a lump slow to use?
  4. About how long ago did the first coins begin?
Answers: 1. A lion · 2. The weight was right · 3. It had to be weighed every time · 4. About 2600 years ago
Try at homeWith a grown-up, look closely at a coin and find its picture or mark. Who put it there, and why?
For grown-upsFind a coin together and look for its marks. Who put them there, and why? A mark that everyone trusts is the whole idea of a coin.
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