Stephen Mihm talked about his book A Nation of Counterfeiters: Capitalists, Con Men, and the Making of the United States, published by Harvard University Press. He describes the U.S. system of currency prior to the Civil War when there was no single national currency. Organizations such as individual banks and state legislatures circulated their own money. Mr. Mihm relays that by 1860 there were over 10,000 different kinds of currency in the U.S. This chaotic system was an environment rife with counterfeiters but also with currency without sufficient backing. He showed some slides during his presentation and then he responded to questions from members of the audience.