<p>In 19th-century America almost anyone could print their own money – and many did. One of the most notable figures to take this up was a man named James Brown, a charismatic conman who built a fortune producing fake banknotes. In this episode of The Story of Money, Stephen Mihm, a professor of history at the University of Georgia, introduces hosts Gillian Tett and Robin Wigglesworth to “the hardest working man in counterfeiting”.&nbsp;They discuss the parallels between banking in the Wild West and the advent of cryptocurrencies today, and the role trust plays in all financial systems.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</p><br><p><strong>Further reading:</strong></p><p>A Nation of Counterfeiters: Capitalists, Con Men, and the Making of the United States, by Stephen Mihm (2007)&nbsp;</p><p>The Square and Tower: Networks, Hierarchies and the Struggle for Global Power, by Niall Ferguson (2018)</p><br><p>To enjoy future episodes, be sure to subscribe to The Story of Money wherever you get your podcasts, and also follow the show's dedicated YouTube channel<a href="https://www.youtube.com/@FTTheStoryOfMoney" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"> here</a>.&nbsp;</p><br><p>Learn more at <a href="http://ft.com/tsom" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">ft.com/tsom</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;</p><br><p>Hosts: Gillian Tett and Robin Wigglesworth</p><p>Guest: Stephen Mihm</p><p>Producer: Lulu Smyth</p><p>Senior Producer: Michela Tindera and Laurence Knight</p><p>Executive Producers: Flo Phillips and Manuela Saragosa</p><p>Original music: Breen Turner</p><p>Broadcast engineers: Bianca Wakeman and Petros Giuompasis</p><p>Podcast Development: Laura Clarke</p><p>FT Global Head of Audio: Cheryl Brumley</p><p>Video editor: Kristen Kenyon at Podcast Discovery</p><br><p><a href="https://www.ft.com/content/8e97870d-c2c7-4255-8bbd-8f4c05fcad9d" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><strong>Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com</strong></a></p><hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>