Even though cash is becoming less important in today's world, paper money is still just as important a means of payment as coins. In other words, without paper money, everyday business life would simply not function. There are various reasons for the development from Charlemagne's pennies to today's 1,000 francs notes.

In Europe in the 15th century, siege money was issued in paper form due to a shortage of coins. In China, banknotes were already being issued in the 8th century AD, also as notgeld money and to finance the war. Thanks to the economic upturn in Europe, the amount of money required increased and could hardly be covered by coins alone. In 1609, the bank in Amsterdam was the first to start issuing paper money, followed later by trading cities such as Hamburg and Nuremberg. However, the issue of official banknotes by the Bank of Stockholm in 1661 was discontinued due to a lack of trust.

‘Trust’ and ‘creditworthiness’ are therefore the two terms that play a pivotal role in the history of paper money. Whereas coins had a tangible value well into modern times, it was now important to trust the issuer to be able to exchange the printed amount for cash at any time. Debt certificates, inflation certificates, siege certificates, government banknotes and paper money issued by private banks and institutions are therefore unique historical artefacts that reveal the rich history of economics and money to collectors.