Early American currency wasn’t always American. Up until 1857, foreign coins were accepted as legal tender because there weren’t enough domestic coins to go around. Another result of the shortage: To make change, people would sometimes just cut a coin into pieces. An online exhibit called “Coins & Currency in Colonial America,” presented by Colonial Williamsburg (history.org), showcases money made both here and abroad that was used through the end of the American Revolution. For the exhibit, curator Erik Goldstein looked for examples that helped to tell the story of the colonies, such as the 1737 Higley Token from...