Cowrie Shell
date: label: date made
content: n.d.
notes: label: Description
content: Small seashells have many characteristics that make them ideal monetary objects. They are durable, portable, and difficult to imitate. One species of cowrie shell is known as the money shell because it was used so widely for this purpose. Shells circulated as a medium of exchange in Asia, Africa, Oceania, and North America.
place: label: place made
content: Oceanic
setName: label: See more items in
content: Work and Industry: National Numismatic Collection
label: Exhibition
content: Value of Money
label: Exhibition Location
content: National Museum of American History
publisher: label: Related Publication
content: Feingold, Ellen R.. Value of Money, The
creditLine: label: Credit Line
content: Mendel L. Peterson
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: National Museum of American History
identifier: label: ID Number
content: NU.70.80.11.06
label: accession number
content: 288726
label: catalog number
content: 70.80.11.06
objectType: label: Object Name
content: alternative currency
label: Object Name
content: Cowrie Shell
label: Other Terms
content: alternative currency; Oceania, South Pacific
physicalDescription: label: Physical Description
content: shell (overall material)
label: Physical Description
content: white (overall color)
label: Physical Description
content: orange/yellow (overall color)
label: Physical Description
content: gray (overall color)
label: Physical Description
content: natural (overall production method/technique)
label: Measurements
content: overall: 2.1 cm x 1.65 cm x 1.1 cm; 13/16 in x 21/32 in x 7/16 in