The Story of Money

Money is an essential component of trade and commerce, which in turn are important aspects of human history. Money then is an important current which runs through the stream of history. Its story is a reflection of the story of humanity itself.

All early trade was based on barter, with commodities such as cattle exchange for grain, salt, foodstuffs, woven fabric, beads or precious metals. As individual cultures developed over the centuries, a need arose to standardize units of value to enable different groups to trade with one another. Money, thus, evolved from commonly bartered goods into more practical means of exchange, using metal and eventually, paper money.

Man's earliest forms of money were often things he could eat, wear, decorate himself with, ride on or use for other purposes.