The history of human use of money originated from the era of barter. In primitive society, people bartered for the materials they needed, such as a sheep for a stone axe. But sometimes limited by the types of materials used in the exchange, we have to find a mutually acceptable item for exchange. This article is the most primitive currency. Livestock, salt, rare shells, rare bird feathers, precious stones, placer gold, stones and other items that are not easy to obtain in large quantities are used as money.

metal currency

After years of natural elimination, in most societies, commodities used as money are gradually replaced by metals. The advantage of using metal currency is that its manufacture requires manpower, it cannot be obtained in large quantities from nature, and it is easy to preserve. Rare gold, silver and copper, which are difficult to smelt, have gradually become the main currency metals. Some countries and regions have already used iron currency.

The early metal currency was huge, so it needed to be tested by touchstone and weighed at the same time. With the development of human civilization, a more complex and advanced monetary system has been gradually established. People in ancient Greece, Rome and Persia minted coins with uniform weight and color. In this way, when using money, it is undoubtedly much more convenient to weigh and check the color. These coins are printed with the head of the king or emperor, complicated heraldic and seal patterns to avoid counterfeiting.

The earliest metal currency in China was the copper shell of Shang Dynasty. Shang Dynasty is also called the Bronze Age in the history of China. The developed bronze smelting industry at that time promoted the development of production and the increase of trade activities. As a result, the most popular coin at that time was not easy to trade because of its unstable source, so people looked for more suitable monetary materials and naturally concentrated on bronze, and bronze coins came into being. However, this kind of metal currency made of bronze is very rough, simple in design, not fixed in shape, without using units, and has not reached the level of widespread use in the market. Because its shape is very similar to the shell coin as a currency, most people call it a copper shell. According to the analysis of archaeological materials, the copper shell was circulated with Beibi at the same time after it was produced. In the mid-Spring and Autumn Period, a new form of money appeared, namely, gold-plated copper shell, which is a thin layer of gold plated on the surface of ordinary copper coins, which is luxurious and wear-resistant. The copper shell is not only the earliest metal currency in China, but also the earliest metal currency in the world.

Gold and silver

Coins in western countries are mainly gold coins and silver coins, and auxiliary coins are made of copper and copper alloys. With the development of social economy in Europe, the volume of commodity transactions has gradually increased. In the15th century, deflation panic appeared in economically developed Flanders and northern Italian states. From the16th century, a large amount of gold and silver from America flowed into Europe through Spain, which saved the European monetary system and created the initial conditions for the development of European capitalist economy.

banknote

With the further development of economy, it is inconvenient to use metal currency. Large transactions require the use of a large number of metal coins, the weight and volume of which are annoying. There will be wear and tear in the use of metal currency. According to incomplete statistics, since humans used gold as money, more than 20,000 tons of gold have been worn in mint, or in people's hands, money bags and clothes pockets. So paper money appeared as a symbol of metal money. The earliest paper money in the world appeared in Sichuan, China in the Song Dynasty.