Cowrie shell. Indo-Pacific region. Undated.
Can anything be used as money?
Small, durable and reasonably hard to get hold of – money has to be practical. Coins meet all the criteria. But other things do, too.
Cowrie shells are portable and durable, and for long they were rare enough to become valuable. They have been used as currency in many parts of the world. But in the 19th century many shells were found that looked almost identical. That was when cowrie shells became less valuable.
