Money: Speech of Hon. John P. Jones, of Nevada, on the Free Coinage of Silver; in the United States Senate, May 12 and 13, 1890

by John P. Jones

Table showing some of the substances which have, at various periods and in various countries, been used as money.

Period.	Country.	Substance used as money.	Authority.
B. C. 1900	Palestine.	Cattle, and gold and sliver, by weight.	The Scriptures.
	Arabia.	Gold and silver coins.	Jacob.
	Phœnicia.	Gold, silver, and copper coins.	Anonymous.
	Phœnician colony in Spain.	Same (some still extant).	Carter.
1200	Phrygia.	Coins, by Queen of Pelops.	Julius Pollux.
1184	Greece.	Brass coins.	Homer.
862	Argos.	Gold and silver coins, by Phidon.	Dictionary of Dates.
70-500	Rome.	Brass, by weight.	Jacob.
578	Rome.	Copper coins.	Ibid.
Uncertain	Carthage.	Leather or parchment money, first "paper bills" known.	Socrates, Dial. on Riches, Journal des Economistes, 1874, p. 354.
B. C. 491	Sicily.	Gold coins, by Gelo some still extant).	Jacob.
480	Persia.	Gold coin, by Darius (two still extant).	Ibid.
478	Sicily.	Gold coin, by Hiero (some still extant).	Ibid.
407	Athena.	Debased gold coins, foreign.	MacLeod, 476.
400	Sparta.	Iron, overvalued.	Bœckh.
360	Macedonia.	First gold coins coined in Greece, by Philip.	Jacob.
266	Rome.	First silver coins coined in Rome.	Ibid.
54	Britain.	Pieces of iron.	Ibid.
50	Rome.	Tin and brass coin.	Dic. of Dates.
Uncertain	Arabia.	Glass coins.	N. Y. Tribune. July 2, 1872.

Period following the failure of the ancient mines.

Period.	Country.	Substance used as money.	Authority.
A.D. 212	Rome. (Caracalla.)	Lead coins silvered, and copper coins gilded.	Anonymous.
1066	Britain.	Living money, or human being made a legal tender for debts at about £2 16s. 3d., per capita.	Henry's History of Great Britain, vol. iv, p. 243.
1160	Italy.	Paper invented; bills of exchange introduced by the Jews.	Anderson.
1240	Milan, Italy.	Paper bills a legal tender.	Arthur Young.
1275	China.	Paper bills a legal tender.	Marco Polo.
	Africa, part of.	"Machutes" (ideal money; this view doubted.)	Montesquieu.
1470	Granada, Spain.	Paper bills a legal tender.	Irving.
1574	Holland.	Pasteboard bills, representative.	Dic. of Dates.
Uncertain	Iceland.	Dried fish.	Anonymous.
Uncertain	Newfoundland.	Codfish, dried.	Anonymous.
Uncertain	Norway and Greenland.	Seal skins and blubber.	Anonymous.
Uncertain	Hindostan and parts of Africa.	Cowry shells.	Jacob, 372.
Uncertain	North America Indian tribes.	Agate, carnelian, jasper, lead, copper, gold, silver, terra-cotta, mica, pearl, lignite, coal, bone, shells, chalcedony, wampumpeag, etc.	Anonymous.
Uncertain	Oriental pastoral tribes.	Cattle, grain, etc.	Anonymous.
Uncertain	Abyssinia.	Salt.	Anonymous.
Uncertain	China and India.	Rice.	Anonymous.
Uncertain	India.	Paper bills.	Patterson, p. 13.
Uncertain	China.	Pieces of silk cloth.	Ibid.
Uncertain	Africa.	Strips of cotton cloth.	Ibid.
	Not stated.	Wooden tallies or checks.	Ibid.

Period following the discovery of the American mines.

Period.	Country.	Substance used as money.	Authority.
A.D. 1631	Massachusetts.	Corn a legal-tender at market prices.	Macgreggor.
1635	Massachusetts.	Musket-balls.	Anonymous.
1690	Massachusetts.	Paper bills, colonial notes.	Macgreggor.
1694	England.	Bank-notes.	McCulloch.
1700	Sweden.	Copper and iron coins.	Voltaire's Charles XII.
1702	South Carolina.	Colonial notes.	Macgreggor.
1712	South Carolina.	Bank notes.	Ibid.
1716	France.	Interconvertible paper bills a legal-tender.	Murray.
1723	Pennsylvania.	Paper bills, colonial notes.	Macgreggor.
1732	Maryland.	Indian corn a legal-tender at 23d. per bushel.	Anonymous.
1732	Maryland.	Tobacco a legal-tender at 1d. per pound.	Anonymous.
1776	Scotland.	Tenpenny nails for small change.	Adam Smith.
1785	Frankland, State of (now part of North Carolina).	Linen at 3s. 6d. per yard, whisky at 2s. 6d. per gallon, and peltry as legal-tender.	Wheeler's History of North Carolina, 94.
1810-1840	All commercial countries.	Great era of bank-paper bills.
1826	Russia.	Platinum coins (discontinued in 1845).	App. Encyc.
1847	Mexico, parts of.	Cocoa beans; and at Castle of Perote, soap.	Anonymous.

Period following the openings of California and Australia.

Period.	Country.	Substance used as money.	Authority.
1849	California.	Gold dust by weight, also minute gold coins for small change, coined in private mints.
1855	Australia.	Gold dust by weight.
185-	Communist settlement in Ohio, called "Utopia."	Paper bills, each representing "one hour's labor."	Private information.
1862	United States.	Paper bills a legal tender.	Act of Feb. 25.
1863	North Carolina.	Tenpenny nails, at 5 cents each, for small change.	Anonymous.
1863	Camp at Florence, S. C.	Potatoes for small change.	Yorkville Enquirer.
1863	United States.	Postage-stamps for small change, temporary.
1865	Philadelphia, Pa.	Turnips for small change, temporary and local.	Philadelphia Ledger, April.
1865	United States.	Nickel coins for small change, overvalued.	Act of March 3.

An analysis of this table will show how carefully even the most primitive communities guarded against a too restricted money volume.