I guess I missed something; when was "free banking" ever free? The
great era of "free banking" in the U.S. was defined by open entry and
exit by those satisfying the regulatory requirements, principally in
New York. But government was very much present. There was of course
extralegal banking by George Smith, for example, but his genius was
creating and sustaining the credibility of his receipts of deposit,
so they circulated with virtually no discount. But is that rarity a
basis for arguing that one could in general have unregulated banking,
i.e. a complete absence of a legal basis for banking? I am
skeptical.
Fred Carstensen