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Welcome to Jachmyov: the Czech town that invented the dollar

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BBC/Elliot Stein/1-8-2020

Coin photo 1537 Thaler, Charles V Holy Roman Emperor“Yet, one place where the dollar is not accepted is in the tiny Czech town of Jáchymov ­– which is ironic, because it was here, tucked deep into the wooded folds of Bohemia’s Krušné hory mountains, where the dollar originated 500 years ago in January 1520. But as I pulled a George Washington one-dollar bill from my wallet in Jáchymov’s 16th-Century Royal Mint House museum, the very spot where the dollar’s earliest ancestors were coined, docent Jan Francovič smiled and stopped me.”

USAGOLD note:  A fascinating, in-depth history for those seeking a bit of weekend diversion . . . .


Image: 1537 Thaler (silver), Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor (Reign 1519-1556)