The Strangest Things People Used as Money (Before Cash Existed)

Tusk Rings

In some precolonial African cultures, ivory wasn’t just traded in raw form—it was shaped into rings worn on the arms. These “money bracelets” were both wealth displays and usable currency, traded for livestock, goods, or land.

The number and size of rings indicated wealth and rank. They were literalstatus symbols, the equivalent of walking around with your bank account on your wrists.

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