The Smithsonian has published a book to accompany the new exhibit, "The Value of Money" at the National Museum of American History. I wrote the following short review on Amazon:

The Value of Money celebrates the power of using monetary objects to explore history. This richly illustrated book features over 175 objects from the Smithsonian National Museum of American History's National Numismatic Collection. With objects from every inhabited continent, spanning more than 2,600 years, this book showcases the National Numismatic Collection's unique strengths, including the geographic and chronological diversity of the collection and the stunning rarities it contains. The companion volume to a major exhibition of the same name, this book examines the origins of money, new monetary technologies, the political and cultural messages money conveys, numismatic art and design, and the practice of collecting money. The Value of Money connects American history to global histories of exchange, cultural interaction and expression, political change, and innovation.

Author: Ellen R. Feingold
Hardcover: 172 pages
Publisher: Smithsonian Institution Scholarly Press (October 13, 2015)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 193562380X
ISBN-13: 978-1935623809
Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 0.6 x 10.3 inches

For more information, or to purchase on Amazon, see:
The Value of Money (www.amazon.com/The-Value-Money-Ellen-Feingold/dp/193562380X)