Money is Speech, Part 2

[mmarotta]

I am creating an article for my blog and these will be some of the illustrations. It is a famous argument here and now in US politics whether or not "money is speech." These are some of the banknotes I have that celebrate Writing, Printing, and Literacy. Money is Speech - Money is Press.

 

In Greek: Krypho Scholeio: The Hidden School - from a time when teaching Christianity was punish by Islamic Law of the Turkish occupiers.

 

Iceland's First Printing Press

Iceland is the world's most literate nation, as measured by the number of books published per capita in the native language. On the face of this note, Guðbrandur Þorláksson (1541-1624) who edited and published at least 80 books, including the Bible in Icelandic and the Icelandic Lawbook.

 

Antoine de Saint Exupery, author of several books including the whimsical Little Prince, but also Night Flight and Wind Sand and Stars. A personal friend of Anne Morrow Lindbergh and Charles A. Lindbergh, he returned to France in 1940 for fly for the Free French and was shot down over the Mediterranean.

[Dave]

Nice notes! I'd like to see your article when it's done - it sounds interesting. Maybe it can be posted here?

 

I'd agree that money talks, especially in politics (unfortunately). But I also think what a banknote is telling me about it's country when I look at it. Whether it's a political figure, poet, painter, wildlife, commerce, education, or what - have - you, a banknote can say a lot about what a country is, where it's priority's are, and where it may be headed. It is a symbol of national pride and can sometimes be a symbol of revolution and change. There is so much that can be read from a banknote that escapes most people, but a little research will give a good amount of insight into the place it comes from.

[Scottishmoney]

How about when they are printed by a well known figure in American history - a man of writing, politics, inventions:

 

 

Certainly not my prettiest or highest graded note - but this one packs a lot of historical punch - because it was printed personally and handled by the Man - Benjamin Franklin himself.

[mmarotta]

On my blog here:

http://necessaryfacts.blogspot.com/2013/11/money-as-press-and-speech.html

 

I actually have about a dozen of these. Another Iceland shows people reading. A little one from China comes from a textbook publisher. Brazil honored its poet Carlos Drummond de Andrande. Estonia is all about authors and I have a couple of those, also. I was told by an ethnic Estonian that in the 1930s, people did not counterfeit money: they counterfeited postage stamps because it is a nation of writers. I also have a Danish note with Karen von Blixen-Finecke ("Out of Africa" writing as Isak Dinesen). I suppose that as with the Scientists, the American author who fits the series is Benjamin Franklin. Can't get a good scan of one of those, not a modern one anyway.

 

Speaking of Franklin, nice artifact there, Scotty! Condition is not great, but the name makes up for it. Actual Franklins are rare.

[Scottishmoney]

250th anniversary of Tumba Bruk Printing House:

 

[Scottishmoney]

Authors:

 

 

Kirsten Flagstad

 

 

Sigrid Unsted who was actually Danish, but immigrated to Norway at a young age.

[wabnoles]

Fascinating you mention the Ben Franklin notes. I remember reading somewhere that Ben Franklin was actually revolutionary in the field of currency printing in that he incorporated tree leaves into the print as an anti-forgery device (leaf impressions are like fingerprints and very hard (at least in those times) to replicate)

[Scottishmoney]

Fascinating you mention the Ben Franklin notes. I remember reading somewhere that Ben Franklin was actually revolutionary in the field of currency printing in that he incorporated tree leaves into the print as an anti-forgery device (leaf impressions are like fingerprints and very hard (at least in those times) to replicate)

 

Indeed they are - of course the British went about trying to duplicate them during the Revolution - but they show up as heavily inked and not realistic in appearance.

 

 

One printed in Ben Franklin and David Hall's shop - by Mr. Hall no doubt as Franklin had become a passive owner of the printing shop by then.

[Scottishmoney]

One a little near and dear - I spend these in circulation and Lesya Kosach aka Ukrainka was a foremost poet and author in Ukrainian literature:

 

 

[mmarotta]

One a little near and dear - I spend these in circulation and Lesya Kosach aka Ukrainka was a foremost poet and author in Ukrainian literature:

 

Very nice, indeed. The Franklin and Hall is also easy to like. See below.

 

Fascinating you mention the Ben Franklin notes. I remember reading somewhere that Ben Franklin was actually revolutionary in the field of currency printing in that he incorporated tree leaves into the print as an anti-forgery device (leaf impressions are like fingerprints and very hard (at least in those times) to replicate)

 

If you goto the Library of Congress website, you can find this illustrated narrative about Franklin, printing, and money.

http://www.loc.gov/exhibits/treasures/franklin-printer.html

 

Just following the easy hits from the search engine produced this from the University of Missouri Press:

 

 

 

In Benjamin Franklin’s Printing Network, Ralph Frasca explores Franklin’s partnerships and business relationships with printers and their impact on the early American press. Besides analyzing the structure of the network, Frasca addresses two equally important questions: How did Franklin establish this informal group? What were his motivations for doing so?

This network grew to be the most prominent and geographically extensive of the early­ American printing organizations, lasting from the 1720s until the 1790s. Stretching from New England to the West Indies, it comprised more than two dozen members ... (Follow link above for the rest.)

 

 

 

 

 

Franklin also used mica chips in his notes.

 

The American Philosophical Society has a bit on David Hall (1714-1772) here:

http://www.amphilsoc.org/mole/view?docId=ead/Mss.B.H142.k-ead.xml

[mmarotta]

Still breaking in a new scanner (HP7610: BIG platen for those coffee table books).

 

 

Central Bank of China 20 cents

Note that the back shows the printer: Chung Hwa Book Co. Ltd.

 

[ccg]

Excellent topic and discussion! :-)

[mmarotta]

(getting a lot of error messages)

 

[Scottishmoney]

 

(getting a lot of error messages)

 

 

Seems to be something with the forum software. I see errors when I post but when I reload the message is fine.

[mmarotta]

Estonia 10 krooni honoring Jakob Hurt and folklore.

In my Gallery under Authors.

I think that my problem posting illustrations is a matter of privileges.

 

 

Jakob Hurt (22 July [O.S. 10 July] 1839 in Himmaste – 13 January 1907 [O.S. 31 December 1906] in St Petersburg) was a notable Estonian folklorist, theologist, and linguist. With respect to the latter, he is perhaps best known for his dissertation on "pure" -ne stem nouns ("Die estnischen Nomina auf -ne purum", 1886). He is also featured on the 10 krooni note.

Also known as the "king of Estonian folklore", Hurt planned the publication in the 1870s of a six volume series called Monumenta Estoniae Antiquae. Hurt organised around 1400 volunteer collectors via a press campaign, who visited almost every house in Livonia collecting around 124,000 pages of folklore. However due to financial difficulties, only two volumes of folk songs were published in 1875-76, titled Vana kannel (Old Harp). Two more volumes were subsequently published quite some time later in 1938 and 1941. Hurt also published a three volume collection Setukeste laulud (The Setus' Songs) between 1894 and 1907.

Wikipedia - Jakob Hurt

 

 

[168Bagua]

Just realize that, soon UK will have Jane Eyre on their notes and have already had William Shakespeare on their banknotes as well!

[Jazinta]

Just realize that, soon UK will have Jane Eyre on their notes and have already had William Shakespeare on their banknotes as well!

They're getting Jane Austen on the 10 pound in a few years.