How Did Merchants Protect Themselves From Fake and Debased Money?

How did merchants protect themselves from fake and debased money? By treating every large payment as an inspection rather than a transaction. With hundreds of currencies circulating and no guarantee that any coin held the metal it claimed, money changers weighed pieces, rubbed them against touchstones to judge purity, read mint marks and discounted entire issues known to be thin. Some coins earned international trust precisely because their issuers refused to weaken them, which is how the Venetian ducat and the Islamic gold dinar became standards far beyond the states that struck them. This documentary explores coin clipping, debasement, money changers, touchstones, assaying, mint marks and the reputation of medieval currencies. You will also see who profited from bad coin, and what happened to a ruler who went too far. From the changing tables of Europe to the mints of the Islamic world, discover how trust was tested one coin at a time. #EconomicHistory #TradeHistory #MedievalHistory #Numismatics #History