货币分为两类：金属货币和纸币。金属货币由金、银、铜、铅、镍等金属制成。纸币是以纸张制成，作为金或银的替代品，或以金、银或两者作为储备支持，无论是全额支持还是部分支持；它也可以既不作为金或银的替代品，也不以两者作为支持。

Currencies are of two types, metallic and paper. Metallic currency is taken from metals like gold, silver, copper, lead and nickel. Paper currencies are taken from paper as a substitute for gold or silver, or backed by gold or silver or both whether backed in full or partially, or it can neither have a substitute nor be backed by either of them.

世界在采用黄金和白银作为货币和钱币的基础方面持续了很长时间，直到第一次世界大战前不久才停止使用它们。第一次世界大战之后，世界又部分地恢复了使用黄金和白银，随后这种使用逐渐减少。1971年，黄金和白银的使用被彻底废除：当时的美国总统尼克松于1971年7月15日正式宣布废除布雷顿森林体系，即以黄金作为美元的准备金、并以固定价格将两者挂钩的制度。

The world proceeded in adopting gold and silver as the basis of currency and money until little before World War I when it stopped dealing with them. After World War I it returned to using gold and silver partially then began to decrease this dealing. In 1971, dealing with gold and silver was abolished completely when Nixon, the American President, officially announced on 15/7/71 the abolition of the Bretton Woods system of covering dollars with gold and linking the two at a fixed price.

货币制度是一个原则体系,一个国家据此铸造货币并管理货币。每种货币制度的主要作用在于确定一个主要货币单位,其他各类货币的价值都与该单位相关联。例如,如果唯一的主要货币被限定为某一特定价值的黄金,那么这一单位就是该制度的主要货币。货币制度的名称通常取决于其所采用的主要货币的性质。因此,如果主要货币是黄金,该制度就称为金本位制;如果主要货币是白银,则称为银本位制;如果主要货币由金和银两种单位构成,则称为双金属本位制。如果主要货币单位的价值与黄金或白银没有固定的比价关系,则称为强制性货币本位制,无论其是由铜币等金属货币还是纸币(银行钞票)构成。 金属本位制 金属本位制是指其主要货币单位由金属构成的本位制。主要货币单位可以由一种金属构成,也可以由两种金属构成。

The currency system is the host of principles upon whose basis manufacturing of currency and managing them are carried out in any State. The principal role for each currency system is to specify the principal currency unit to which relates the value of other types of currencies. So if, for example, the sole principal currency is limited to a specific value of gold, this unit is the principal currency for this system. The currency system’s name usually depends upon the nature of the principal currency that it adopts. So if the principal currency is gold this system is called the gold standard. If the principal currency is silver, it is called the silver standard. If the principal currency is composed of two units gold and silver it is called the bi-metallic standard. If the value of the principal currency unit is not linked in a fixed relationship with gold or silver, it is called a compulsory currency standard, whether it is taken from metals like copper currency or paper currency (bank notes). The Metallic Standard The metallic standard is the standard whose principal currency unit is composed of metals. Either the principal currency unit is composed of one metal or two metals.

这是一种依赖单一金属（黄金或白银）的金属货币本位制。这种本位制可以有三种形式，分别是：

This is the metallic currency standard depending upon one metal, gold or silver. This standard could appear in three forms which are:

1. 金银本位制。

1. The gold or silver coinage standard.

2. 金或银的条块（Sabaik标准）。

2. The gold or silver ingots Sabaik standard.

3. 金银货币兑换的赊制（Sarf）标准。

3. The gold or silver currency exchange Sarf standard.

这是一种以金币或银币为流通工具的本位制度，这些金银币具有特定且确定的价值或重量，本身即是流通的媒介。同时，在金币或银币流通的同时，也可以流通一种纸币作为金银的替代物，它完全代表金银，可以随时兑换，没有任何限制或障碍。 金银块本位制：这是一种金币或银币退出流通的制度。国家或中央银行将金银块保存在国库中，并发行纸币作为金银的替代物投入流通，这些纸币可以兑换成金银。

This is the standard in which gold or silver coin pieces circulate in a specific, established value or weight which is the circulating tool itself. There could also circulate, together with gold or silver pieces, paper as substitute for gold or silver representing it completely such that it can be exchanged at any time without any restriction or barrier. The Gold or Silver Ingot Standard This is the standard in which gold or silver pieces are withdrawn from circulation. The State or central banks preserve gold or silver ingots in their treasuries and issue paper currency as substitute for gold or silver which is submitted for circulation with the ability of being exchanged for gold or silver.

然而,当国家设计这种金块本位制时,会限制黄金或白银与法定货币之间的自由兑换。它将这种兑换限定在狭小的范围内,并且发行的金币和金块数量很大,使并非人人都能购买,目的是保全黄金或白银的储备,以便在国际收支逆差时用于支付,并防止黄金或白银被走私到国外。因此,采用这一本位制作为货币本位的国家,就形成了一种货币监管,并对黄金或白银的流动实行一定的控制。

However, when the State designs this ingot standard it limits the absolute potential for exchanging gold or silver with compulsory currency. It limits this to within narrow limits and designs coin ingots in large quantities such that not everyone can purchase them, in order to preserve the reserves of gold or silver, allowing payment of them in case of deficit in payments balance and to prevent any smuggling of gold or silver abroad. Thus a State that adopts this standard as its currency standard creates a type of currency supervision and some control over the movement of gold or silver.

这一制度的特点在于，该国采用的货币单位并非直接以黄金或白银来定义，而是与另一国的货币挂钩，而该国货币本身则与黄金或白银相联系。这类似于殖民时期的情形：在“委任统治”期间，叙利亚和黎巴嫩的货币与法国法郎挂钩；在英国统治时期，埃及和伊拉克的货币则与英镑挂钩。

This system is distinct in that the currency unit adopted by the country is not directly defined according to gold or silver. Rather, it is defined in relation to the currency of another country that is linked to gold or silver like what occurred in linking the currency of a satellite country with the colonising state’s currency which followed the gold or silver principle. As an example to that is that Syrian and Lebanese currency were linked to French currency during the “Mandate” period, and Egyptian and Iraqi currency were linked to English currency during the period they were under British dominion.

这种本位制度的主要货币由两种单位构成：金和银。这种制度必然要在金单位与银单位之间规定一个确定的重量与衡量比例，使得二者可以相互计量，并知道彼此的交换价值。在这一体系中，金单位铸币与银单位铸币一同流通。有些国家还规定了金单位与银单位兑换的法定范围，从而使两者之间的货币兑换比价得以固定。

This is the standard whose principal currency is composed of two units, gold and silver. It is inevitable for this standard to define a specific proportion in weight and measure between the gold and silver units, such that one can measure against the other and knows its exchange value it. In this system, gold unit pieces circulate together with silver unit pieces. Some States define a specific statutory range for exchanging gold units with silver units so that the currency exchange price is fixed between them.

采用金银本位制，需要将金、银的主要货币单位明确定为具体且固定的价值，并允许人们不受限制地买卖、进口和出口金银。此外，还需允许人们将其货币兑换成金银，反之亦然，以便利对外贸易；并允许人们将金银条块铸成硬币，或将硬币熔成条块，只需支付国家铸币厂收取的一笔简单费用。

Adopting the gold and silver standard requires defining the principal currency units of gold and silver in specific and fixed values and allowing people to buy, sell, import and export gold and silver without restriction. Also it enables them to change their currencies into gold and silver and vice versa, to facilitate foreign trade and allow people to change gold and silver ingots into coins and vice versa, for a simple cost taken by the coining house in the State.