With Harriet Tubman coming to the American $20 bill, and other changes being made to the look of money in the United States, the design of dollars is once again set to evolve. But our current bills still hold many of the symbols and motifs that existed in our earliest paper money, the Colonial and Continental currencies.

Back then, when the bills were being produced by each of the colonies, they were both wilder and more elaborate. Incorporating early versions of the filigree and emblems, like the pyramid, still found in American currency today, these proto-dollars are terrific artifacts from a more primitive economy. Until 1797, they did not even use the "$" symbol, which had to be invented by a bankrupt Irishman first.

Take a look at some of the most gorgeous money from the 1700s.

To read the complete article, see:
The Ornate Charm of American Currency from the 1700s (www.atlasobscura.com/articles/the-ornate-charm-of-american-currency-from-the-1700s)

To read the complete article, see:
The Unexpected Individuals Featured on American Currency (www.atlasobscura.com/articles/the-unexpected-individuals-featured-on-american-currency)