In the Public Eye

Money: Value

| introduction | countries | portraits | signatures | value | additional design |

Each of these documents states clearly what they are worth (and in the case of the Bond, at what point they are worth a given amount). Unfortunately, in each case, inflation caused the bills to lose value quickly.


"Shinplasters" received their name because they were fractional paper money, meaning their initial value started at less than one dollar. Due to inflation, they were worth even less so soldiers used them to line their boots to keep warm, hence their nickname.


The government didn't expect to sell as many Fourth Liberty Loan bonds as they did so they couldn't afford to pay out the face value of the bonds, which matured in the early 1930's, at the start of the Great Depression.
















Germany had been suffering with inflation when Herbert Bayer designed the one million mark. In 1920 a postage stamp cost four marks. In 1923 a postage stamp cost 50 billion marks. Germany used the one million mark for only a short time. In 1924 they introduced the reichsmark, equivalent to one trillion marks.