Currency money or book money, which are fiat money. Currency money Currency money is money in full circulation that takes its value from the precious metal it contains, that is, its market value is (almost) the value of the metal it contains (apart from the Seigniorage or the minters' profit), though this is always overcompensated for in coins and banknotes from a country undergoing debasement. Currency money is usually made of silver or gold, but in very rare cases plated metal and even copper may be used. Currency money is commodity money, as opposed to coins whose metal value is less than
Chinese cash (currency unit) Chinese cash (currency unit) The cash () was a currency denomination used in China in imperial times. It was the chief denomination until the introduction of the yuan in the late 19th century. The English term "cash" was first used on coins issued in Kwangtung (Guangdong) Province in 1900. It did not appear on paper money until later. The plural forms "cash" and "cashes" were both used. The English word "cash", meaning "tangible currency", is an older word from Portuguese "caixa" or Middle French "caisse" ("box, chest, case"). The Chinese character "wen" () has several other meanings in modern Chinese.