St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1890-08-05
EARLY PECULIAR CURRENCY
Strange Substitutes for Honey Il
Other Days.
SKINS AND ANIMALS USED.
Ten Min@ Of Spartan Money Filled
a Room and Tired a Yoke OF
Oxen.
Golden DAVIS.

Golden Days
There was time when neither coin.
nor even metal in the rough, vas in use
among mankind as a circulating medi-
ther beck than 500 or 900 years before
the Christian era, to the stamped pieces
of metal circulated among the Greeks
and Lydians.
1t may be of interest to glance at some
of the early forms of currency and at
the strange substitutes for money still
in use among barbarous people.
The earliest substitute for coin cur
rent used by man is believed to have
been the skins of animals. This medium
of exchange was employed by the an
cient Russians, and also by the first set
tiers of this country. Certain tribes of
the Alaskan Indians to-day use the peltS
of bears and foxes for currency.
The pastoral age succeeded the hunt
ing age, and men began 10 use animals
themselves, instead of their skins, for
circulating medium.
The animals principally employed
we're sheep and oxen, their relative
value being determined by the ancient
Romans at ten sheep for one OK, which
standard is still recognized among the
Mongol tribes. Traces of this custom
are still visible in the Irish and Ice
landic laws.
Among the early Teutonic races fines
were often paid in cattle, and the ZuluS
and Kaffirs in this year of grace make
use of this old-time custom.
A direct link between this practice
and the use of metal coins for moneys is
found in the currency of the early
Romans, who used pieces of brass
clipped off from mass.
Later. in the time of Servius Tullius,
the brass WAS coined and marked with
the figure of an OK. An interesting
nected with this custom, for the Latin
word for money, pecunia-whence our
modern term pecuniary-W WIS derived
from pecuS, cattle.
Metal money was used, however, long
before the time of tee Romans. AS far
back as the days OF Abraham the
Egyptians used gold and silver for cur
ency. 1t was counted by weight and
not by face value.
The Hebrews had '.jewel money" in
addition to ShekelS and talents and
drachms of gold and silver. On the
Egyptian tombs gold is represented as
being weighed in rings for commercial
purposes; rather an improvement. it
may be considered, on the earlier metal
lump.
Before the introduction of coined
money into Greece, Skewers or spikes of
iron and copper constituted the cur
rency, six making drachm or handful.
This iron money continued in use
among the SpartanS for many centuries,
and Plutarch tells us that to great
quantity and weight of this but a small
value was assigned, so that to lay up 10
| mime "a little over 93D a whole room
was required. and to move it nothing
| less than yoke of oxen.
In certain parts of Central Africa iron
| spikes are still used after the Spartan
fashion; and, according to Adam Smith,
it was not so long ago that nails were
| used as subsidiary coin in Scotland.
| Hence, perhaps, we obtain the term
"ten-penny nair'-that is, ten for a
penny.
During the commercial supremacy of
| Carthage, the common currency used
| by her merchants and sailors, both in
| their trade at home and with foreign
nations, was pieces of leather stamped
with the arms of the powerful republic.
| The currency of the AZtecS consisted
of transparent quilts OF gold dust, of
bits of tin cut in the form of a T, and of
bags of cocoa containlnga specific num-
| Der of grains.
sBlessed money" exclaims the old
annallst, Peter Martyr, (which excerpts
its pOSSeSSOr from avarice, since it can
not be long boarded or hidden under
| ground"
The earliest coinage in America was
the famous hog money!" made in 1915
| for the Virginian company at the Som
mer islands, now the Bermbdas. The
coin was of brass, with the legend
"Solnmer Island" and "h0gge on one
side, in memory of the abundance OF
hogges which were found ON their irSt
landing"
The currency of the early colonists
was very mixed one. At one time
musket balls passed for change at g
farthing apiece, and were legal tender
for sums under a shilling. Tobacco anC
tobacco receipts were also legal tender.
and corn. beans, goldfish ana peltries
were likewise employed.
Wampum. the shell-bead money Of
the Indians, was the currency most il
use, however, being accepted by the
c0lOniStS as a convenient token.
There were two kinds of this shell
money wampumeag." which was
white, and made from the conch o.
periwinkle, and "suckanhock," which
was dark purple, and made from the
hard-shell clam.
The purple was worth twice as much
as the white. The shell was broken ii
pieces. rubbed smooth on stone til
about the thickness of pipe stem, ther
pierced with drill and strung int
necklaces, bracelets and chains.
The English, French and Dutch set
tiers all used wampum, the value being
fixed in 1910 at six beads for penny
The strings were called fathoms, anC
varied in value from five to ten Shil
lings.
Shell money has played quite an i'm
por tant part in the worlds commerce
The small hard shell known as tn,
"cowry" is used to-day in India, the
Indian islands and Africa, in the plac,
of the subsidiary com.
In 1881 more than 1000 tons of thes'
shells were brought from India to Liv
erpool to exchange for palm oil. There
value in Bengal is 5000 to the rupe
or about seventh to the cent.
The list Of what may be terme,
| curious money is an extensive one. Sal