Emergency money, 1933

When the nation's banks closed in 1933, many people hoarded their money. To keep the economy going, store owners, communities, and even schools issued their own; Leiter's Pharmacy in Pismo Beach, California, "issued" clamshells (see detail at right). Some of this emergency money was later collected by the Chase Manhattan Bank, which exhibited historical money at its main headquarters in New York. In 1979 the bank donated most of its collection to the Smithsonian.

See also: Coins and Currency, Intriguing Objects

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