The most unusual money
We all make certain payments every day, and money has become a familiar medium of exchange for us. Perhaps everyone is wondering what money was in the past.
However, today we will not talk about ordinary money that people used before, but we will talk about the most unusual money in the world, both ancient and modern.
The largest coin
American artist-sculptor Stanley Witten created a coin that set a record simultaneously for several characteristics: size, weight and face value. This coin was issued by the Canadian National Bank and has a denomination of one million US dollars. This authentic piece of art features the Canadian Maple Leaf symbol on one side and the Canadian Queen Elizabeth II on the back. This coin weighs a centner and consists almost entirely of pure gold. There are 15 such coins in total, and all of them are in personal collections.
At the moment, the most expensive coin in the world is a coin issued in the 30s of the 20th century. Its face value is only $20, but it left a New York auction for $7 million in 2008. The lucky owner of the unique coin wished to remain anonymous.
The most unusual money
The lightest coin
The lightest coin in the world is the coin of Nepal, which was issued in 1740 and consists of silver. The weight of the coin is only 0.002 grams.
The most unusual money
The most beautiful coin
The Mexican coin of 2005 was recognized as the most attractive outwardly coin. It is made entirely of silver and features the Mexican coat of arms on one side and the Aztec calendar on the other side. The decision that this particular coin will bear the proud title of the most beautiful in the world was made by the commission of the World Conference of Mints in 2008.
The most unusual money
The smallest banknote
The banknote, which was issued at the beginning of the 20th century in Romania, can be easily confused with a tram ticket – after all, its size is just over 3 centimeters.
But the largest banknote in size was in use already in the 14th century in China. Its long side is 33 centimeters.
The most unusual money
Banknote of the largest denomination
The Hungarian banknote, which appeared in the 1940s, is the largest banknote in denomination. It is a sextillion pengö (Hungarian currency from 1927 to 1946).
The most unusual money
wooden coins
But in the Republic of the Congo, the legal medium of exchange is a wooden coin, the release of which began in 2005. Maple wood was chosen for the manufacture of such coins. Obviously, the creators tried to give the coin some kind of social character, since the inscription on it calls for the protection of animals, and there is also an image of a gorilla on both sides.
The most unusual money
fiber money
In 1944-1945 in Japan, in the region of Manchuria, coins made of reddish-brown fiber were used. The use of just such a material for coins was a necessary measure, since the metal reserves were on the verge of extinction.
The most unusual money
The oldest paper banknote
China is the first country in which money began to be used from the material that we are accustomed to – paper. It happened at the end of the 1st century AD. The money of that period, unfortunately, has not survived to our times. The most ancient paper money that has survived to this day looks like this:
The most unusual money
African money sticks
Until the 20th century, the inhabitants of some parts of Africa used money in their everyday life, which are small iron sticks. They were called “kissy” money. For convenience, they were often used in whole bundles, which had an equal number of sticks.
