The 10 strangest things that have been used as money around the world
Flickr/Matt Lewis
Unusual items have been used as currency in different countries around the world for hundreds of years.
While some of these alternate currencies were implemented as temporary measures, others are still in use today.
Price comparison website Gocompare.com recently put together a collection of 10 unusual items that have been used as currency around the world, from bricks of tea in China to large stones on the island of Yap.
Rai stones
Gocompare.comWhere: Island of Yap, Micronesia
When: 500 AD - today
Value: Each stone has its own unique value
These large and round discs are carved from limestone and used as currency on the Micronesian island of Yap.
The stones have different values that depend on their history rather than their size. For example, the more people who died transporting the stone, the higher its value will be.
Tea bricks
Gocompare.comWhere: China, Mongolia, Tibet, and Central Asia
When: 19th century - 1935
Value: Varied depending on the quality of leaves and the distance and accessibility of the market
Tea bricks are blocks of ground tea leaves that are packed into molds and pressed. The bricks were used as a form of currency up until the beginning of WWII, when the value of tea skyrocketed in many parts of Asia.
Tea blocks were actually said to be favored over coins in places like Siberia and Tibet, as they could be used to treat coughs and colds or even eaten if food was scarce.
Canadian Tire money
Gocompare.comWhere: Canada
When: 1958 - today
Value: 5¢, 10¢, 25¢, 50¢, $1 and $2 denominations
Created by Canadian Tire back in 1958, this money was originally conceptualized as a customer reward tactic.
Customers would get coupons that featured a tire and dollar sign running hand-in-hand. The concept became so popular that other businesses began accepting Canadian Tire Money as well.
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