Forget the familiarity of USD, EUR, JPY, and the suite of other currencies you may know (that you can send, spend and hold with Zing). Let’s take a look at some of the more unhinged things that people have been willing to use as currency, past and present.
1. Animal pelts
In North America, eighteenth century European settlers and Indigenous communities found common ground by agreeing on monetary value through beaver and deer pelts. They were traded for goods and services. In Finland and Russia, squirrel pelts likewise became a currency unit for a time.
Fun fact: “Buck”, the slang word for dollar still used today, comes from this practice.
2. Dolphin teeth
Peoples of the Solomon Islands still use dolphin teeth as currency today, particularly for child dowries.
Fun fact: The value of dolphin teeth increases whenever less rustic currencies like the pound, dollar or euro decline. A great testament to how money works.
3. Bafia potato mashers
In West African Bafia culture, potato mashers were traded as a currency for rare and significant transactions. Bafia potato has also been its own currency, presumably for the more everyday transaction!
Fun fact: Among the Bafia, you could score a wife in exchange for just 30 of your finest potato mashers. But then you’d have to put up with rough potatoes.
4. Tulips
Recorded in the 1630s as one of the first economic bubbles, tulip bulbs in the Netherlands became all the rage as a currency. Prices soared so high they could be exchanged for houses, land and farms.
Fun fact: Striped tulips were highly prized over mono-coloured varieties. In 1931, scientists discovered these patterns are thanks to an aphid virus. Mystery solved.
5. Canadian Tire money
In 1958, a retail chain in Canada started giving out coupons resembling dollar bills with different monetary values. Analogous to Monopoly money, these coupons exploded in desirability with many Canadians still honouring them as part of its culture – and in some instances, still accepting them as legal tender.
Fun fact: Aligning with an evermore cashless society, Canadian Tire money has gone digital, now known as Triangle Rewards.
Zing won’t be launching its own currency any time soon (don’t quote us on that), but you can certainly use Zing to hold, send and spend a whole range of global currencies. Download the app now.
