A Monetary History of Colombia (Inglés)

In modern societies, currency is a mere social convention based on trust and elementary economic principles. Money in itself has no intrinsic value, economic agents accept it in exchange for goods that do have it because there is confidence that later it will be accepted again in exchange for other goods and services. The use of this convention prevents us from having to resort to more uneconomic options such as bartering or the production of other goods "for example, gold or silver" that can play this role. Antonio Hernández Gamarra speaks to us about all this with the authority that characterizes him in this fascinating and attractive history of currency in Colombia, published in large format by Villegas Editores and available in Spanish and English. Profusely illustrated with documents and photographs that constitute a true journey through the economic and political history of the nation since its independence, the brilliant exhibition of the evolution of the institutions that have been in charge of issuing money in Colombia "of obligatory presence in every serious library" is complemented by two beautiful catalogs of the main metallic coins that have circulated in the country since the beginning of the 19th century and the entire collection of banknotes issued by its monetary authorities since 1922.