The original theory of commodity-money was proposed by V. L. Yanin. The scientist stated that the role of money for small payments could be fulfilled by some uniform and widespread products in Ancient Russia - such as crystal and cornelian beads, often marked in hoards with coins, multi-colored glass bracelets, and ovruch slate spindle whorls. These spindle whorls were repeatedly met in hoards along with ingots, and during excavations in Pskov, for example, they were found in a wallet with Western European coins. When V. L. Yanin combined the distribution maps of glass bracelets and slate spindles whorls, and also plotted the boundaries of the monetary circulation area before the Mongol invasion, their detailed coincidence was discovered. Slate spindle whorl could well play the role of a coin. It was impossible to fake it, because the pink slate deposit in Ovruch was the only one in Eastern Europe. In China, according to one of the versions, the spindle became the prototype of the first coins with a square hole.