ABSTRACT
Some of the metals seem to be marked out by nature as most fit of all substances for employment as money, at least when acting as a medium of exchange and a store of value. The metals are also perfectly divisible, either by the chisel or the crucible, and yet a second melting will always reunite the pieces again with little cost or loss of material. Each metal has its characteristic colour, density, and hardness, so that it is easy for a person with very slight experience to distinguish one metal from another. On the other hand, many metals exist which might be produced more cheaply than silver, such as aluminium or manganese. Lead has often been used as currency, and is occasionally so mentioned by the ancient Greek and Latin poets. Nickel was formerly regarded as the bane of the metallurgist, but has recently assumed an important place in manufacturing industry, and even in monetary science.
