As you know, money can be made out of thin air. But whatever the source of earnings, its material equivalent is always the familiar voiced coins and crisp banknotes. When opening a wallet to pay for another purchase, we hardly think about the history of banknotes... When did paper money first appear? How do they compare with the country's cash supply? How much is the ruble? Is it easy to fake a banknote? How to distinguish fake banknotes from real ones? What is "war money"? Whose portraits and why are immortalized on banknotes of the past and present? This book by A. A. Shchelokov contains answers to many questions related to the history of paper money. In fact, we have before us a real guide to the world of banknotes, intended for both collectors and people interested in world history and culture.