Currencies that changed the world

Creativity is one of the deepest traits a human being can share with the world. In this article, we will go through some of the currencies that changed the history of the means of exchange forever. Ever Imagined a world without money? If the coin or paper currencies in your hand did not exist, how would people buy and sell?

Historians claim there was a bartering system (means of trade). If you help me kill this mammoth, I will share my fruits with you. Bartering is the direct trade of goods and services. However, this type of arrangement would take a lot of time, as you have to convince someone to accept and trade with you. Later on, this developed into trading products with a party (A) having oranges and another party (B) having apples. Even though this appears to be easier than killing a mammoth, it’s time-consuming.

What if party B does not want oranges? Furthermore, prehistoric currencies appeared by trading with acceptable products like Animal meat skin or weapons. In case you don’t want them, you can trade with someone else. History took another interesting turn when the Chinese created small replicas of tools and weapons at around 1100 B.C as a means of trade as they found it heavier to carry more than a weapon or tool.

Imagine someone roaming around with 20 swords in his backpack weighing several kilos. However, the very first struck coin came into existence in history was by Alyattes of Lydia which had the symbol of a lion around 600 B.C. in the streets of circa. This struck coinage led to the economic development of the nation.

An honorable mention here would be of the Austrian coin by Empress Maria Theresa who was a powerful emperor. The silver coin (1741) with her portrait on both sides gained popularity all over the world. They were in circulation even in our Arab Gulf region and other Arabian countries besides the Indian rupee and Ottoman coinage.

It’s also one of the very first coinages that had a unified shape and weight. Even some traders used the coin to weigh their products like fruits or vegetables. Some rare currencies for the Thalers of Empress Maria were struck by Nejd and Hejaz - indicating the heavy usage of these coins in parts of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia