For a modern person, money, in whatever form it may be, cash or non-cash, is the usual means of payment. But there were times when the world did not know money. What caused them to appear?
At the dawn of human existence, there was simply no need for money - people lived on hunting and gathering, they simply had nothing to buy and no one to sell to. But with the development of society and the emergence of the first settlements, the situation began to change. Crafts arose, each person became a specialist in some kind of business. Money had not yet appeared, natural exchange was in use - people simply exchanged the goods they produced for what they needed.
This settlement system was very inconvenient, so people were looking for ways to make it easier. The first money appeared in China around two thousand years BC. Cowrie shells were used as money. The influence of cowrie shells was so great that even the first coins were made in the form of shells.
Simultaneously with the appearance of money, the problem of counterfeiting arose. The first counterfeiters, most likely, were people who illegally collected cowrie shells. It was the ease of counterfeiting the first money and their fragility that gave impetus to the emergence of more durable money, stone and metal. It is interesting that stone money is still used on the small island of Yap, lost in the vastness of the Pacific Ocean. Residents keep their currency right on the street, since the weight of stone circles, which are local money, sometimes reaches five tons. This kind of money hasn't been made on the island for over 80 years, but it is still legal settlement.
The main qualities that have always been presented to money have been their durability, security against counterfeiting and ease of use. This also determined the materials from which they were made. The only non-rusting metals available at that time were silver and gold. It is not surprising that these metals, due to their remarkable qualities and rarity, have become the main means of payment for many peoples for many centuries.
The first gold and silver money was simply rounded metal plates with the emblem of the ruler embossed. Such money had one significant drawback: some unscrupulous coin owners neatly cut off the edges of the coins, after which they got rid of the "lightweight" money, paying with them for any product. The remaining gold and silver "trimmings" were melted down. In order to combat such fraud, coins began to be rolled in toothed rollers, applying a characteristic corrugation to the edge of the coin (edge).
Nevertheless, money made of noble metals had another drawback - they, due to their softness, wear out quickly enough. Therefore, they began to be replaced with copper and paper money, the value of which was no longer determined by the value of the material from which they were made, but by the denomination indicated on the coin or banknote. At the same time, the government that issued such money guaranteed their exchange for gold or silver. But over time, this practice has become a thing of the past, and modern money, for example, the well-known US dollar, is really not backed by anything.
In recent decades, there has been an active abandonment of cash in favor of non-cash money all over the world. This process has both advantages and disadvantages. Nevertheless, it is quite natural, so there is no doubt that one day the time will come when banknotes and metal coins can be seen only in museums and private collections.
