Artisanal Cash

August 16, 2015 in Daily Bulletin

Communities are experimenting with creating their own cash writes Dan Crane:

  • Individual artists and communities are providing their own take on what currency should look like.
  • Some designs honour people such as JK Rowling or other contemporary figures.
  • They may also commemorate local landscapes, culture, and heroes.
  • This currency is then sometimes used to pay for goods. The currency only works in small, localized communities where people agree to use the notes as a form of exchange, since technically the notes aren’t real currency.
  • This system of a specialized currency that can only be used by local merchants and vendors, instead of by chain stores, appeals to a generation that tries to support local businesses.

Read more about why this might be “the last burst of glory” before cash disappears entirely from our world, how such currencies address piracy concerns, and what some of the currencies look like over here.

Source: The New York Times