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Who issued the world's first coins?

Last updated on: June 14, 2005 10:38 IST
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Who issued the world's first coins?
Take the Rediff Business Quiz to know more about the history of coins and paper money.

Biz Quiz is best viewed in Internet Explorer (IE) and Netscape above version 6.0.

1. Who issued the world's first coins?
a) Chinese
b) Greeks
c) Indians

2. When were India's first coins minted?
a) 5th century BC
b) 7th century AD
c) 2nd century BC

Wrong! Try again..
Wrong!
The correct answer is 5th century BC.
There is almost total agreement amongst historians that India's first coins were minted just before the start of the 5th century BC in Madhyadesha (central India). Some, however, hold that that India minted the first coins of the world as early as in the 8th century BC.
Major archaelogical finds indicate that the coins found during excavation at Bhir (Taxila) in 1924 and Chaman Huzuri in 1933 were minted in India long before 4th century BC, i.e. before Greeks advanced towards India.
Correct!
There is almost total agreement amongst historians that India's first coins were minted just before the start of the 5th century BC in Madhyadesha (central India). Some, however, hold that that India minted the first coins of the world as early as in the 8th century BC.
Major archaelogical finds indicate that the coins found during excavation at Bhir (Taxila) in 1924 and Chaman Huzuri in 1933 were minted in India long before 4th century BC, i.e. before Greeks advanced towards India.

3. Who introduced paper money in India?
a) The General Bank of Bengal and Bahar
b) The Bank of Hindostan
c) The Bank of CP and Berar

Wrong! Try again..
Wrong!
The correct answer is The General Bank of Bengal and Bahar.
Paper money was first introduced in India in the late 18th Century. Among the early issuers, the General Bank of Bengal and Bahar (1773-75) was a state sponsored institution set up in participation with local expertise. Its notes enjoyed government patronage.
Correct!
Paper money was first introduced in India in the late 18th Century. Among the early issuers, the General Bank of Bengal and Bahar (1773-75) was a state sponsored institution set up in participation with local expertise. Its notes enjoyed government patronage.

4. Where did paper money originate?
a) India
b) China
c) Greece

Wrong! Try again..
Wrong!
The correct option is China.
The first recorded use of paper money was in China, during the reign of emperor Wu-Ti, in the 2nd century BC. From the 7th century onwards, deposit notes issued in exchange for deposit money were the means of payment used by merchants of the Tang dynasty.
Correct!
The first recorded use of paper money was in China, during the reign of emperor Wu-Ti, in the 2nd century BC. From the 7th century onwards, deposit notes issued in exchange for deposit money were the means of payment used by merchants of the Tang dynasty.

5. The world's highest denomination note?
a) American 100 million dollar
b) Hungary's 100 million Pengo
c) Britain's 1 million pound

Wrong! Try again..
Wrong!
The correct answer is Hungary's 100 million Pengo.
The world's highest denomination note was Hungary's 100 million Pengo, which issued in 1946. It was worth about US $0.20 in 1946. The world's lowest denomination note was Fiji 1 penny, issued in 1942. The old penny, being 1/240 of a pound, is a lower denomination than the current penny which is 1/100th of a dollar.
Correct!
The world's highest denomination note was Hungary's 100 million Pengo, which issued in 1946. It was worth about US $0.20 in 1946. The world's lowest denomination note was Fiji 1 penny, issued in 1942. The old penny, being 1/240 of a pound, is a lower denomination than the current penny which is 1/100th of a dollar.

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Compiled by: Anamika

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