Old Monetary Problems

Extract

Among the recent acquisitions of the Society is a bulky Latin volume which throws an interesting light on the difficulties which beset the business men of earlier days. It was printed in 1591 at Colonia Agrippinae (Cologne) and its crowded title page may be freely translated as follows: “Two Books on Money and Monetary Problems, the first dealing with the Art of Coinage and the second with Monetary Problems, to which are added Various Useful Tracts together with Opinions and Annotations, by authors both ancient and modern who have discussed Money, its Value, Alloy, Weight, Power, Alteration, Variation, Counterfeiting, and the like.” The author and editor, Renerus Budelius, was “prefect of moneys” under the Elector Ernest of Cologne.