No, we had natural devaluation. Most resources, hoarded away, will spoil. Everything has an expiry date, even social capital - do me a favour today, and I might

No, we had natural devaluation. Most resources, hoarded away, will spoil. Everything has an expiry date, even social capital - do me a favour today, and I might return the favour tomorrow. But by next year I'll have forgotten about it. It makes sense, really. Why should finding a old penny under the floorboards, nearly worthless when it was minted, make you rich?