money of account, n.All

Money of account (n.) needs ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠gold only in imagination: you can price a thousand bales of cotton without a single atom of gold.