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Bits · 15 seconds · 6/14
History of Money
Shells, salt and stones
Cowrie shells
Money in China, India and Africa
Salt bars
Southern Ethiopia: 10 bars = 1 Maria Theresa dollar
Stone wheels
Yap: up to 13 feet across

People have used cowrie shells, salt bars and giant stone wheels as money.

Money is anything people trust.

Source: Smithsonian NMAH, "Forms of Money"; Penn Museum Bulletin, "Types of Money"; St. Louis Fed (2021) · Oct 16, 2026
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