Our special video series looks at some of the more unique shells at the Bailey-Matthews National Shell Museum on Sanibel, ...

1,200 BC: Cowrie Shells The first use of cowries ... which had more inherent value. 118 BC: Leather Money Leather money was used in China in the form of one-foot-square pieces of white deerskin ...

Comprised of cowrie shells, the collar was elegant and a unique take on garbs worn during monumental, history-defining ...

Image caption, A 19th Century illustration shows cowrie shells being used as money ... item - for those who could afford to have them. Leather was used to make currency at one point.

The Cowrie shell, part of the Cypraeidae family, is found in Western Australia and is known for its glossy exterior and spotted pattern. This particular shell is extremely rare, with only a ...