All you need to know

People think central banks have "lots of different tools to work with" but really they have one trick, they can make more money.   The details on on how they do the trick, the words, and the smoke, can change, but at the end of the day their only "secret weapon" is making more money.  If the only tool you have is a hammer, you treat every problem as if it were a nail.  If you try to fix your car, or the economy, with a hammer, it probably won't be a happy ending.

Studies of Failed Currencies

Somehow I have been credited with a study of 599 failed currencies, though I have not done such a study.   There have been studies of the history of failed currencies and it seems good to have a post where we can collect such studies into one place.   If anyone knows of other interesting studies  please post them in the comments and I will add them to this list.

1) History of Fiat and Paper Money Failures by Mike Hewitt.

Has a list of 177 current currencies and when they were started. I count only 16 of these as existing prior to 1900.

It has a list of 609 currencies that no longer circulate and says 153 of these died of hyperinflation.

2) Inflation and the Fall of the Roman Empire by Arto Bendiken

Detailed history of Roman inflation.

3) Fiat Currency: Using the Past to See into the Future by Nick Jones at Daily Reckoning.

Looks at Rome, China, France, and Germany. Says China's paper money was called "flying money" was because "because it could just fly from your hands.". To clarify, people would spend hyperinflating paper money as fast as they got it and hold onto silver coins.

4) Fiat Money Inflation in France by Andrew Dickson White

Fantastic book (free online) with detailed history of a French hyperinflation.

5)  5 Failed Currencies And Why They Crashed by Investopedia

Looks at Germany, Argentina, Zimbabwe, Peru, and Chile.

Referenced but not located studies.

1)  " 775 fiat currencies by DollarDaze.org" but the domain dollardaze.org does not work.  Wonder if someone has a copy.