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: Norman Stack
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: National Museum of American History
identifier: label: ID Number
content: NU.NU60721.6
label: accession number
content: 226961
label: catalog number
content: NU60721.6
objectType: label: Object Name
content: Cowry Shell Money
label: Object Name
content: nontraditional money
label: Object Name
content: alternative currency
physicalDescription: label: Physical Description
content: shell, cowry (cypraea moneta) (overall material)
label: Physical Description
content: white (overall color)
label: Physical Description
content: purple (overall color)
label: Physical Description
content: natural (overall production method/technique)
label: Measurements
content: overall: 1.1 cm x 2.35 cm x 1.6 cm; 7/16 in x 15/16 in x 5/8 in