Daily independent. [volume] (Elko, Nev.) 188?-1915, 1890-07-18
PECULIAR CURRENCY.

nor even metals in tho rough were in
use among mankind as = circulating
medium, says COLLEEN Days. Numis-
m&tici, ns q rule, go 70 Earth " back than
6oo or 0o) years before the Christian era
to tho et2C1pCd pieces OF r:ct;l Circu-
lated among the Gr"cI:1 and I.ydians.
II may he OF IL crest; - HlarCc ut sorno
of the carly FORMS of currency and ut
tho strange substitutes for money still
in use among BARI! OK; pC2' =.
Tho earliest substitute e.. coin cur
rent used by r7aH is believed TO havo
been tho skins Of aniiH,.i". This nc
diuyH Of exchange Wa, CIR; ,ioycl by tho
anriHrt Dussi2na an,l also BY tao first
settlers Ct this c0"A,ry. Certain tribes
of TIC hlaS,:aa I:...i:23 t0-,,"v use tho
pcl.:i of bears arI fC&cS e." -'"r"ncy.
The pastoral age succeeded nc hunt
Inc a:,r, and ncn ho::"n to u:o animals
themselves instead Of their skins for
circulating r?cdiua.
The animals principally employed
wcro &!l""p and oxen, their relative
vaiao being determined Ivy tho ancient
Romans ;.t ten sheep fo- ono OK, which
standard i3 still recognized among tho
MonTol tribes. Traces of this custom
arc $!ill visible in tho Irish and Ico-
lanliG laws.
Among tho carly Toutonic races fines
wore often paid in cattle, and the IulES
and the Katiir3 in this year OF yracc
mako use Of this oll-timo medium.
direct link between tAiS !, actico
and the u"c OF metal coins for mon
cya is found il tho currency Of the carly
Romans, who used pieces Of nraSG clipped
off I"orI = mass.
Later, in the time Of Scrvius Tullius.
the brass was coined ard naked with
the figure Of an OK. An interesting lit
TIC bit Cf genealogical lore Is connected
with th!ac"Htom, fC. The Latin word for
money. EC""niv-vhcEco our modern
term pcculiiary-waj derived from 2)ecuS,
caCtlc.
Metal money wac rGcd, however. long
before the time OF ti2 Romano. rs far
hazel; rs TIC days q .Abral,..l the Ecyp-
tians used cola and silver for currency.
1t waG counted by weight and not by
face valuy.
The hebrews had ''icwol money" in
addition to shcllClS and talonts and
drachm3 Of gold and silver. On the
Egyptian toEb3 gold is represented rs
being weighed in rings for commercial
purpose; rather an improvement, it
may be considered, Oh tho carrier metal
lump.
Before tho Introduction of coined
money into Greece, showers or spikes
OF iron and copper constituted tho cur
rcncy, six making drachra or handful.
In certain parts Of Central Africa iron
spikes are still used after the Spartan
fashion; ana. according to Adam Smith,
it was not so long ago that nails wcro
used subsidiary coin in Scotland.
Hence, perhaps, wo obtain tho term
't"n-prnny nail. O., ton fer penny.
Tho currency Of tho Aztccs consisted
of transparent quilts Of gold-dust, of
bits Of tin cut in the form Of a Il, and of
bags of cocoa containing specified
nUrIhc: Of grains.
Inc earliest coinage IN America was
tn" famous ''hoT-monCy," nlado in 1912,
for tn" Nirginian Company at tho SOM
NOR Islands, now tho Bcrmuda3. Tho
coin was of brass, with tho legend
'.iommCr Island" and q ''horrc on ono
side. in memory Of tho abundance Of
lo&gcs which were found on their first
lending"
4 very mixed ono. At ono timo mu1l;ct
bulls passed for change at farthing
apiece, and wcro q legal tender for Sums
under a shilling. Tobacco and tobacco
receipts wcro also legal tender, and
corn, beans, goldfish and poltrics wcrc
lillc".ac employed.
Wampum, tho sbcll-bcad money Of tho
Indians, was tho currency most in usc,
however, being accepted by tho colon
lists as Il convenient token.
There wcro two kinds of this shell
money - ''wampumcaT," which was
white, and made from the conch or peril
w-aIil3, ill ''suckanho3k, which was
dark purple, and mado from tho hard
shcll clam.
The purple was worth twice as much
as tho white. The shell was broken in
pieces, rubbed smooth on n stono till
shout the thickness Of O pipe-stcm, then
pierced with drill and strung into