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.
label: Location
content: Currently not on view
setName: label: See more items in
content: Work and Industry: National Numismatic Collection
creditLine: label: Credit Line
content: Chase Manhattan Bank
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: National Museum of American History
identifier: label: ID Number
content: 1979.1263.00563
label: accession number
content: 1979.1263
label: collector/donor number
content: OC157G
label: catalog number
content: 79.112.OC157G
objectType: label: Object Name
content: Cowrie Shell Money
label: Object Name
content: alternative currency
label: Object Name
content: premonetary exchange
physicalDescription: label: Physical Description
content: shell, cowry (overall material)
label: Physical Description
content: red/brown (overall color)
label: Physical Description
content: off white (overall color)
label: Physical Description
content: white (overall color)
label: Physical Description
content: natural (overall production method/technique)
label: Measurements
content: overall: 2.1 cm x 3.4 cm x 1.8 cm; 13/16 in x 1 11/32 in x 23/32 in