Of the material of money 1

The history of different peoples’ monies shows that money can be made of many different matters. The Lacedaemonians had iron money; the early Romans had copper coins. Several peoples have used cocoa beans or shells as money. Until Peter I, ² there were some leather monies in Russia ¹ . Many modern nations use paper; but the matters which combine the most advantages are undoubtedly gold and silver, which are often called precious metals.