The World's Most Unusual Currencies

Across time, money has taken forms that stretched far beyond coins and paper. They have been shaped by culture and circumstance. Back then, civilizations found ingenious ways to assign worth, often in forms that seem astonishing today. Some held ceremonial importance, while others represented authority or skill. Explore this collection of 20 bizarre currencies we’ve compiled and see how history once measured wealth in odd but creative ways.

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1. Yapese Stone Money

On Yap Island, people used giant limestone discs—some as wide as 3.6 m—as money. They didn’t move the stones around. Instead, ownership was agreed upon by the community. Even sunken stones still counted, and transporting one marked an important ceremonial event.

BrayLockBoy on Wikimedia

2. Salt Bars

Salt was serious business in Ethiopia. These chunky bars, called amole, doubled as money and seasoning. Traders hauled stacks of them across scorching desert routes. People used them to buy goods or settle debts well into the 1900s. 

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3. Manillas

They looked like bracelets but worked like coins. Across West Africa, manillas made of copper or bronze were used in markets and major trade deals. They even played a part in the Atlantic slave trade. Centuries later, despite colonial buy-back efforts, archaeologists are still digging up these once-valuable pieces.

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4. Bottle Caps 

In mid-20th-century West Africa, a shortage of coins saw soft drink and beer bottle caps used as money. Their worth depended on brand popularity, with certain labels fetching more. These makeshift currencies remained in use until official coin supplies returned to the region.

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5. Tally Sticks 

Forget spreadsheets—medieval England’s quirky cash system used split wood with matching notches to track debts. They were tamper-proof, tradable, and tax-friendly. The sticks stuck around for centuries, but in 1834, burning old sticks sparked the fire that destroyed Parliament. 

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6. Wampum Beads

Crafted from white and purple shells, wampum were used by Indigenous Northeastern peoples in ceremonies and record-keeping. Colonists in the 1600s even accepted it as legal tender. The rarity, especially of the purple quahog beads, made each strand a little treasure.

Nosferattus on Wikimedia

7. Kissi Pennies 

Kissi pennies were iron rods used as currency in Sierra Leone, Liberia, and Guinea, from around 1880 into the mid-20th century. Forged by blacksmiths, they held economic, ritual, and symbolic value—even believed to channel spirits of the dead.

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8. Dog Teeth

In the Solomon Islands, someone could really offer you dog teeth as payment. They were strung together and used in bride price negotiations and trades. Along with being used as money, they also doubled as wearable displays of wealth.

Vassia Atanassova - Spiritia on Wikimedia

9. Parmesan Cheese Wheels

Large Parmesan cheese wheels acted as both edible currency and collateral in Medieval Italy. The long aging process and costly preparation made these cheese wheels valuable trade commodities that could be divided as needed for payments.

Naturpuur on Wikimedia

10. Bronze Knife And Spade

Long before round coins appeared, ancient China used bronze knives and spades as currency. Each one got stamped with unique inscriptions. This rare form of money still appears in archaeological discoveries today.

Photographer:Dr. Meierhofer on Wikimedia

11. Tea Bricks

In parts of China and Central Asia, tea could pay your bills. Traders used blocks of compressed tea leaves as currency. If things got tough, you could break a piece off and drink it. Bricks came stamped to stop fakes, and some were even reinforced for travel. 

Jason Fasi on Wikimedia

12. Tevau Feather Coils

Tevau were long, woven coils covered in hundreds of red honeyeater feathers, valued as prestige currency in the Santa Cruz Islands. Chiefs safeguarded them and displayed them during rituals, while specialized guilds followed strict traditions to craft each coil for major exchanges and status recognition.

Hiart on Wikimedia

13. Copper Plates

Copper plates weighing up to forty-four pounds served as money in 17th-century Sweden. Official stamps ensured their value, but their hefty size made them hard to carry. This is one of the challenges that led to the introduction of paper notes. Today, the largest plates are prized treasures for collectors.

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14. Tin Money With Animal Shapes  

It was a tin-based currency used in the Malay Peninsula from the 15th to 18th centuries, especially in Perak, Selangor, and Negeri Sembilan. Shaped like animals—crocodiles, elephants, fish, and chickens—it spoke of local beliefs and served as royal court currency.

Scott Semans on Wikimedia

15. Arrow Coins 

In ancient Korea, coins were cast in the shape of arrows, spanning over ten centimeters in total length. Uniquely designed to function as both currency and potential weapons, the arrow coins were a practical, multi-use innovation.

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16. Squirrel Pelts 

Red squirrel pelts formed a key currency unit in medieval Russia and Finland until hunting became time-consuming. Even parts like paws and snouts were used as coins for small change. Fun Fact: The Finnish word for money, "raha," originally meant fur.

Mickey Bohnacker, Presse-Fotograf, Frankfurt/Main on Wikimedia

17. Whale Teeth 

Fiji's most respected currency wasn't metal or paper—it was polished whale teeth. The items were exchanged during weddings, apologies, and major events. To make it shine, coconut oil was used, and when local supply ran low, the teeth were imported.

Hannes Grobe/AWI on Wikimedia

18. Tambu Shell

At one point, shell coils were serious currency. Used in East New Britain, Papua New Guinea, they played a major role in ceremonies like marriages and funerals. Their value came from length, and their making followed strict traditions. It was closely guarded by trusted community custodians.

Queensland Museum on Wikimedia

19. Porcelain Notgeld

Currency took a creative turn in 1920s Germany when local towns issued porcelain coins. This happened during a financial crisis, and companies like Meissen helped produce these colorful and often decorative pieces. Though they were fragile, they’re now valued as collectible examples of emergency-era money.

Takkk on Wikimedia

20. Katanga Copper Crosses

In Central Africa, copper was shaped into large X-shaped crosses that held real buying power. All of these pieces were valuable in trade and often given as bride price. Their worth depended on weight and purity, and when needed, they could be melted down into tools.

Lionel Allorge on Wikimedia