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Bartering
The begining of the value of money is bartering. Bartering is the exchange of goods or services for something else. -
9000 - 6000 B.C.
cows, sheep, camels, and other livestock, are the first and oldest form of money. -
1200 B.C. COWRIE SHELLS
Cowrie shells were widely available in the shallow waters of the Pacific and Indian Oceans. Cowries have been used in some parts of Africa. The cowrie is the most widely and longest used currency in history. -
1000 B.C.: FIRST METAL MONEY AND COINS
Bronze and Copper were manufactured by China at the end of the Stone Age and could be considered some of the earliest forms of metal coins. Metal tool money, such as knife and spade monies, was also first used in China. -
500 B.C.: MODERN COINAGE
the first coins developed out of lumps of silver. They soon took the familar round form of today, and were stamped with various gods and emperors to mark their authenticity. -
118 B.C.: LEATHER MONEY
Leather money was used in China in the form of one-foot-square pieces of white deerskin with colorful borders. -
806: PAPER CURRENCY
The first known paper banknotes appeared in China. In all, China experienced over 500 years of early paper money, spanning from the ninth through the fifteenth century -
1500: POTLACH
"Potlach" comes from a Chinook Indian custom that existed in many North American Indian cultures. It is a ceremony where gifts were exchanged, dances, feasts, and other public rituals were performed. -
1535: WAMPUM
Wampum are strings of beads made from clam shells, was by North American Indians in 1535. The Indian word "wampum" means white, which was the color of the beads. -
1816: THE GOLD STANDARD
Gold was officially made the standard of value in England in 1816. -
1930: END OF THE GOLD STANDARD
The massive Depression of the 1930s, felt worldwide, marked the beginning of the end of the gold standard. In the United States, the gold standard was revised and the price of gold was devalued. -
THE PRESENT:
Today, currency continues to change and develop -
THE FUTURE: ELECTRONIC MONEY
Digital cash in the form of bits and bytes will most likely continue to be the currency of the future.
