At Xi'an

Did you know at one time the Chinese used SEASHELLS for money? It was a big surprise for me too. Very ClubMed. This is actually a very important stage in any culture. The abstract idea of "money" had to occur at some point during trades of different goods.

I couldn't include the description card of these shell coins in the picture but I transcribe it here (the bolded text is my emphasis):

Shell Coins
Mid-Western Zhou Dynasty (Mid-10th to Mid-9th Century B.C.)
Excavated from Rujiazhuang, Baoji City

The specialized merchants and state-run market emerged in the Western Zhou dynasty. Shells were used as medium for exchange of goods in the frequent commercial activities, and became the earliest coins and calculating unit in the transactions in Chinese history. Shell coins unearthed from tombs were mainly deep sea shells, as well as bronze and jade imitations.

Wow! Seashells were the earliest coins in Chinese history! That's really interesting.

It gives another meaning for the term, shell game. :)