Coined: The Rich Life of Money and How Its History Has Shaped Us

by Kabir Sehgal

  I’m thankful to J. P. Morgan for being a wonderful place at which to learn about money and capital markets, and to my managers and colleagues, who are some of the smartest and most diligent people I’ve ever known. I’m also grateful to the New York Public Library, an incredible resource, as well as their research librarians. Thank you, Professor Gretchen Young, a magnificent friend and my masterful editor at Hachette. You helped conceive of this book and shepherded it to success. Along the way you provided wise counsel, encouraged me, and made this text infinitely better. Everyone needs a Gretchen in their life. Thank you to the entire team at Hachette and Grand Central Publishing, including Jamie Raab, Rick Wolff, Allyson Rudolph, Jamie Snider, Marlene Plasencia, Caitlin Mulrooney-Lyski, and Thomas Pitoniak. My agent, Gillian MacKenzie, was remarkable in shaping the direction of the manuscript and providing counsel.

  My loving family sustained me during this project: Raghbir, Surishtha, and Kashi. When I would tire of writing, I would walk circles around Madison Square Park, chatting with my mother, who offered sage advice.

  My mentor, Douglas Brinkley, is splendid, available at late hours to talk shop and help me hone this craft. He and his wife, Anne, have been incredibly generous to me over the years. I’m proud to be a lifelong student and disciple of his. And to you, the reader, for joining me on this journey.

  About the Author

  KABIR SEHGAL is a vice president in emerging market equities at J. P. Morgan in New York. He serves as an officer in the United States Navy Reserve, served as a speechwriter on a presidential campaign, and is a term member of the Council on Foreign Relations. He is the New York Times bestselling author of books including Walk in My Shoes (with Andrew Young), A Bucket of Blessings, and Jazzocracy. A Latin Grammy–nominated producer who has performed with Grammy Award–winning musicians as a jazz bassist, Sehgal is a graduate of Dartmouth College and the London School of Economics. To learn more about the author, you can visit CoinedBook.com.

  Also by Kabir Sehgal

  A Bucket of Blessings

  Walk in My Shoes: Conversations Between a Civil Rights Legend and His Godson on the Journey Ahead

  Jazzocracy: Jazz, Democracy, and the Creation of a New American Mythology

  List of Illustrations

  here: An example of symbiotic exchange in the natural world: fish cleaning a green sea turtle. (iStock.com/triggerfishsaul)

  here: Neuroeconomists use brain scans to understand how the brain makes financial decisions. (iStock.com/yumiyum)

  here: A Native American potlatch ceremony in British Columbia. (U’mista Cultural Society)

  here: Employees in the vault at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York wear these magnesium shoe clips when moving gold bars. (Federal Reserve Bank of New York)

  here: Kublai Khan established the Yuan Dynasty and issued paper money that circulated throughout his Asian empire. (Chinese School via Getty Images)

  here: A mobile phone–based payment system, M-Pesa enables millions of Kenyans to transfer money. (Bryan Warambo)

  here: Lakshmi, the Hindu goddess of wealth and auspiciousness. (Mkistryn/Bigstock.com)

  here: Sufi Mostafizur Rahman and me at Wari-Bateshwar, in rural Bangladesh. He has found hoards of ancient coins from these ruins that are from an ancient, lost civilization. (Courtesy of Kabir Sehgal)

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  Notes

  Epigraph

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