In later years spices, tobacco, coffee and other commodities were used to settle trade debt. After the First World War It took a barrow - full of German Marks to buy the barest essential foods to feed a family for one day. Prices altered hourly. Where we differ in opinion to those world renowned experts who have influenced modern concepts of finance and economics and to those whose opinions today control these present structures, we offer no apology. All we hope to do is to set out what we feel is wrong with what we presently have, and hopefully to change this either to some small or larger degree.
Money is a means of payment.
It is also perceived to be a store of wealth. In the days when currencies were backed totally or practically totally by gold holdings, the notes would have printed on them words to this effect. In other words one could take say a British five pound note to the bank and demand it's equivalent in gold at the price at which gold was trading at the time, either as bullion or as a pure gold coin such as the English sovereign and half sovereign. Not so today. This is intentional and this word will crop up fairly regularly both in dealing with money , as well as in finance and economics.