Money passes through our hands every day, but there’s so much more to those bills and coins than meets the eye.
I’ve spent years researching currency from around the world, and I’m excited to share some truly mind-blowing facts about money that will change how you see the cash in your wallet.
Did you know that some money isn’t made from paper at all? Or that the first coins were created over 2,600 years ago? Money has a fascinating story that spans thousands of years and countless civilizations.
In this post, I’ll take you on a journey through the most surprising and interesting facts about money that most people don’t know. From currencies made of chocolate to bills covered in millions of bacteria, these facts will amaze you and give you some cool trivia to share with your friends.
What you’ll learn:
- The strange origins of money
- How people traded before coins existed
- Unusual materials used to make currency throughout history
- Why some money mistakes are worth thousands of dollars
- How digital money is changing our world
So get ready to discover the secret world of money that’s been hiding in plain sight all along!
1. The Origin Story of Money
Long before paper bills or metal coins existed, people used some pretty weird things as money.
I was shocked when I first learned that seashells, large stone discs, and even animal teeth were once valuable forms of currency!
The very first coins were made in Lydia (now part of Turkey) around 600 BCE. They were created from a mixture of gold and silver called electrum. These early coins weren’t the perfect circles we know today—they looked more like little lumps with simple stamped designs.
Before money existed, people used a system called bartering. They’d trade goods directly—like swapping a chicken for a bag of grain.
But this system had major problems:
- What if the person with grain didn’t want your chicken?
- What if you couldn’t split your cow into smaller parts to make smaller purchases?
The invention of standardized money solved these problems. Suddenly, people could trade more efficiently and store wealth more easily. This seemingly simple innovation completely transformed human society and made complex economies possible.
Salt was so valuable in ancient times that Roman soldiers received part of their payment in salt. This payment was called a ‘salarium’—which is where we get our modern word ‘salary.’
Imagine getting paid in salt today! 😆
Interestingly, many of the earliest forms of money were items that had real-world uses. Cocoa beans in ancient Mesoamerica were both currency and a food item. In parts of Africa, cloth money could be worn if you decided not to spend it. Money evolved naturally from useful everyday objects.
2. Money That Isn’t Paper or Metal
When you think of money, you probably picture paper bills or metal coins. But throughout history, people have used some truly surprising items as currency. I was amazed to discover the creativity people showed when creating money!
In parts of the Pacific, enormous stone discs called Rai stones were used as money on the island of Yap.
Some were so large (up to 12 feet in diameter) that they couldn’t be moved! Instead, everyone just remembered who owned which stone. This system worked surprisingly well and is actually similar to how digital banking works today.
Prison inmates have created their own currencies when official money wasn’t available. In some American prisons, ramen noodle packets became valuable currency. In World War II prisoner of war camps, cigarettes evolved into a complete monetary system with stable exchange rates.
Today, digital currencies are becoming increasingly common. Did you know that over 90% of the world’s money exists only as digital records? Physical cash makes up less than 10% of all the money in the world. Your allowance might be in cash, but your parents’ paychecks likely exist only as numbers in a computer system.
Cryptocurrency is a newer form of digital money that works without banks. Bitcoin, the first cryptocurrency, was created in 2009 and has inspired thousands of similar digital currencies. Unlike traditional money controlled by governments, cryptocurrency uses complex math and computer networks to handle transactions.
Mobile payment systems are transforming how money works in many countries. In Kenya, a system called M-Pesa lets people transfer money using just their phones, which has revolutionized the economy in areas where traditional banks aren’t accessible.
3. The Secret Life of Dollar Bills
The paper money in your pocket has a much more exciting life than you might imagine! I was surprised to learn that the average dollar bill changes hands about 55 times per year. That means if you keep a dollar bill for a week, you’re actually holding onto it longer than most people!
Despite what many people believe, American paper money isn’t made from paper at all. It’s actually created from a special blend of cotton and linen fibers. That’s why bills can accidentally go through the washing machine and survive! This durable material gives American currency an average lifespan of:
- $1 bill: 6.6 years
- $5 bill: 4.7 years
- $10 bill: 5.3 years
- $20 bill: 7.8 years
- $50 bill: 12.2 years
- $100 bill: 22.9 years
Your money is packed with hidden security features designed to stop counterfeiters. If you look closely at a $20 bill, you’ll find color-shifting ink, watermarks, security threads, microprinting, and even patterns that only show up under ultraviolet light.
The U.S. Bureau of Engraving and Printing adds new security features every few years to stay ahead of counterfeiters.
What happens to money when it gets too old and worn out? The Federal Reserve collects damaged bills and sends them to be shredded. In the U.S. alone, about 7,000 tons of worn-out currency gets shredded each year! Some of this shredded money is recycled into roof shingles or fireplace logs. Recycled currency literally helps build and warm homes!
The serial numbers on dollar bills tell a fascinating story. Each bill has a unique serial number that can reveal where and when it was printed.
Some collectors pay big money for bills with interesting serial numbers like 00000001 or 12345678.
4. Animals on Money Around the World
Animals have appeared on money for thousands of years, representing national pride, local wildlife, and cultural symbols. I’ve always been fascinated by the incredible variety of creatures featured on currency from around the world!
Australia’s coins feature a wonderful showcase of native wildlife. The 5-cent coin shows an echidna, the 10-cent coin a lyrebird, the 20-cent coin a platypus, and the $1 coin displays kangaroos. Their colorful paper money also features animals, with the $5 note showing a spiny anteater! Australian currency is like a miniature wildlife guide to the country.
Some of the most unusual animal currencies come from small nations. The Isle of Man, a small island between Great Britain and Ireland, features the Manx cat on some of its coins—a tailless cat native to the island. The Bahamas has a coin with a starfish, and Singapore once had coins depicting seahorses!
The most commonly featured animal on world currency is probably the eagle, appearing on coins and bills from the United States, Mexico, Germany, Austria, Poland, and many other nations. Eagles symbolize power, freedom, and vision—perfect qualities for national currencies.
Did you know that until 2022, Canada’s coins featured a beaver on the 5-cent piece? Beavers were incredibly important in Canadian history because the fur trade helped establish early European settlements. This small rodent literally helped build a nation!
North Korea has issued some of the strangest animal currency, including coins with unicorns! These mythical creatures appear because, according to North Korean legends, unicorns lived near the tomb of an ancient king. Today, these unusual coins are prized by collectors.
Birds appear on currency more than any other animal group. From America’s eagle to New Zealand’s kiwi, birds dominate the animal kingdom of money. Their ability to soar above borders perhaps makes them perfect symbols for national currency.
5. Money Made from Surprising Materials
Most money today is made from paper, metal, or plastic—but throughout history, people have gotten incredibly creative with currency materials. I was amazed to discover just how many unusual substances have been used to make money!
During World War II, many countries faced metal shortages because all available metal was needed for weapons and military equipment. The United States made pennies from steel in 1943, while Canada produced coins from tombac (a copper-zinc alloy).
Some countries got even more creative—emergency coins were made from porcelain, glass, and even compressed coal dust!
Did you know that chocolate coins wrapped in gold foil aren’t just holiday treats? They’re actually inspired by real chocolate money used in the 1930s in Spain during their Civil War. When metal was scarce, some Spanish towns issued emergency money made from chocolate. The chocolate could be used as currency or eaten in desperate times!
One of the strangest materials used for money is leather. During severe financial crises, Russia, France, Germany, and the United States have all issued leather money at different points in history. These unusual notes were surprisingly durable but eventually returned to more conventional materials.
Australia invented plastic money!
In 1988, Australia introduced the world’s first polymer (plastic) banknotes. These plastic bills last much longer than paper ones, are harder to counterfeit, and can even survive a trip through the washing machine.
Today, over 20 countries use polymer banknotes, including Canada, Mexico, the United Kingdom, and many others.
Some of the most beautiful money ever created was made from mother-of-pearl in Papua New Guinea. These iridescent shell discs, called ‘tabu,’ are still used in traditional ceremonies today. The shimmer and natural patterns make each piece unique and beautiful.
Wood has been used to make money during desperate times. In the 1920s, Germany experienced hyperinflation so severe that the value of paper money was dropping faster than it could be printed. Some German towns created emergency money from thin wooden boards—practical, readily available, and impossible to counterfeit with primitive printing techniques.
6. Invisible Money in Today’s World
The vast majority of money today exists only as digital information—numbers in computers that move from account to account without ever taking physical form.
Physical cash represents less than 10% of all money in existence now!
Every time you use a debit card, credit card, or payment app, you’re using this invisible digital money. No physical cash changes hands; instead, computers update account balances, transferring value instantly across the world. Digital transactions now account for over 90% of all money movement globally.
How much digital money exists?
The total value of all money in the world is estimated at around $1.3 quadrillion ($1,300,000,000,000,000), but only a tiny fraction exists as physical cash. If we tried to convert all digital money into physical cash, there wouldn’t be enough paper or metal on Earth to make it all!
Cryptocurrency represents a new evolution of digital money. Unlike traditional digital currency controlled by banks and governments, cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin use complex mathematics and computer networks called blockchains to handle transactions. Bitcoin was worth almost nothing when it started in 2009, but a single Bitcoin has been worth over $84,000 at its peak!
Did you know some video games have developed their own economies with real-world value? Games like Fortnite, Roblox, and Minecraft have in-game currencies that people buy with real money. Some players have made thousands of dollars selling virtual items or creating content in these virtual worlds.
China is leading the world toward a cashless future. In major Chinese cities, even small street vendors and beggars accept digital payments through apps like WeChat Pay and Alipay. Many young Chinese people rarely use physical cash at all, and the country is testing a digital version of their official currency, the yuan.
Sweden is another nearly cashless society, with physical cash used in less than 20% of transactions. Many Swedish businesses no longer accept cash at all, and some Swedish banks don’t handle physical money anymore. This shift to digital currency is happening incredibly fast—just 10 years ago, cash was still king in Sweden!
7. Money Mistakes That Made History
Everyone makes mistakes, even the people who make our money!
Some of the most valuable currencies in the world today are actually the result of printing errors or minting mistakes.
The most famous American coin error is probably the 1955 ‘Double Die’ penny. During manufacturing, the die that stamps the coin’s design was accidentally pressed twice, slightly offset, creating a doubled image. Only about 20,000 of these pennies entered circulation, and today they’re worth thousands of dollars each!
In 2004, some U.S. quarters for the state of Wisconsin were struck with an extra leaf on the corn stalk design. This minor mistake created coins worth far more than 25 cents. A normal Wisconsin quarter is worth exactly 25 cents, but one with the extra leaf error might sell for $300 or more! These rare coin errors are treasures hiding in plain sight.
Australia once printed millions of $50 notes with the word ‘responsibility’ misspelled as ‘responsibilty.’ The tiny typo wasn’t noticed until after 46 million notes had entered circulation! The Australian central bank decided not to recall them, so these misspelled notes are still being used today.
The ‘upside down airplane’ stamp from 1918 is one of the most valuable printing errors in history. The U.S. Postal Service accidentally printed the airplane in the center upside down on a sheet of stamps. Only one sheet of 100 stamps escaped the printing facility, and today these stamps are worth around $1 million each!
In 2007, the U.S. Mint accidentally produced thousands of one-dollar coins without the usual edge inscriptions. These coins, known as ‘Godless Dollars’ because they were missing the edge inscription ‘In God We Trust,’ quickly became collector’s items worth much more than their face value.
Mistakes in money production usually get caught before the currency enters circulation. But when errors slip through, they create rare collectibles that can be worth thousands or even millions of times their face value. The hunt for these valuable mistakes adds an exciting element to the hobby of coin collecting.
8. The Germiest Thing in Your Pocket
That money in your pocket might be dirtier than you think! Scientific studies have found that the average bill hosts thousands of different types of bacteria and other microorganisms. I was grossed out when I learned just how many germs call our money home!
Research has found that a single dollar bill can harbor anywhere from 3,000 to 37,000 bacteria depending on how long it’s been in circulation. These include common skin bacteria, mouth bacteria, and even some that come from less pleasant places! Currency passes through so many hands that it picks up a little bit from everyone who touches it.
Some of the bacteria species found on money include:
- Staphylococcus (skin bacteria)
- Micrococcus (found in soil and dust)
- Bacillus (common environmental bacteria)
- Enterobacter (sometimes found in the digestive system)
- And even traces of E. coli on some bills!
Money can carry more than just bacteria. Studies have found traces of hundreds of different substances on circulating currency, including food residue, pet DNA, and even tiny amounts of illegal drugs on some bills. Almost all U.S. dollars show traces of BPA, a chemical used in receipts that rubs off onto bills stored near them.
Plastic polymer banknotes (used in Australia, Canada, and the UK) tend to harbor fewer germs than traditional cotton-fiber notes. Their smooth surface makes it harder for bacteria to find places to hide and multiply. This is one unexpected health benefit of modern plastic currency that most people don’t know about!
Despite all these germs, the risk of getting sick from handling money is actually quite small. Most of the microorganisms found on currency aren’t harmful to humans with normal immune systems, and they’re present in such small amounts that they rarely cause problems. Still, washing your hands after handling money is always a good idea!
Interestingly, some countries have implemented policies to sanitize their currency. In South Korea, specialized machines use high temperatures, UV light, and chemical treatments to disinfect banknotes before recirculating them. During the COVID-19 pandemic, China also disinfected and temporarily isolated banknotes from high-risk areas to reduce the spread of germs.
9. Countries with the Most Colorful Money
American money might be green, but many countries around the world have embraced vibrant colors for their currency! These rainbow-hued bills aren’t just pretty—they serve important security and practical purposes. I love collecting colorful foreign currency.
Canada’s banknotes feature some of the most colorful designs in the world. Their polymer bills come in bright purple ($10), blue ($5), green ($20), red ($50), and brown ($100). Each denomination has a distinct color, making it easy to tell bills apart at a glance—a feature that helps children, elderly people, and those with visual impairments.
Australia’s banknotes might be the most colorful in the world. Their $5 note is purple, the $10 is blue, the $20 is red, the $50 is yellow, and the $100 is green. These colorful designs aren’t just for show—each color contains special dyes that make counterfeiting extremely difficult.
The Bahamas has some of the most beautiful and colorful currency, featuring vibrant oceanic scenes in shades of blue, pink, purple, and green. Their $1 bill shows a scene of Nassau Harbor in blues and greens, while their $3 bill (yes, they have a $3 denomination!) features a pink and blue coastal scene.
Why don’t American bills have more colors? Historically, the U.S. used green because it was resistant to chemical and physical tampering, and green ink was readily available when large-scale currency printing began. While newer U.S. bills have added subtle color accents, they remain primarily green, continuing a tradition dating back to the 1860s.
The European Union’s euro notes follow a color scheme based on architectural styles from different periods in European history. The €5 is gray, €10 is red, €20 is blue, €50 is orange, €100 is green, €200 is yellow, and €500 is purple. This consistent color coding helps unite the many nations that use this common currency.
Some countries use color to tell a story. South African rand notes feature different colors for each denomination, with each bill highlighting a different animal from the ‘Big Five’ safari animals: lion, elephant, rhino, buffalo, and leopard. This creates a beautiful collection that showcases the country’s natural heritage.
10. Money Superstitions from Around the World
People have developed fascinating beliefs and traditions around money over the centuries. Some of these superstitions might seem strange, but they show how deeply money affects our cultures and thinking.
In many Asian countries, giving money in red envelopes is considered lucky, especially during New Year celebrations and weddings. The color red symbolizes good luck and is believed to ward off evil spirits. The amount given often includes the number 8, which sounds similar to the word for prosperity in many Asian languages.
Have you ever tossed a coin into a fountain and made a wish? This practice dates back to ancient Rome, where people would throw coins into sacred pools to gain favor with the gods who lived in the waters. Today, famous wishing fountains like the Trevi Fountain in Rome collect millions of dollars in coins each year, which typically goes to charity.
In Russia, sitting on money (even if it’s in your back pocket) is considered bad luck because it means you’re disrespecting wealth. Many Russians believe that putting your purse or wallet on the floor will lead to financial problems—your money should always be elevated!
Itchy palms have different meanings depending on the culture. In many Western traditions, an itchy right palm means money is coming to you, while an itchy left palm means you’ll be paying money out soon. In some Eastern European traditions, it’s the opposite!
Money superstitions vary widely across different cultures.
In Brazil, a common belief holds that placing a coin in the palm of a newborn baby will ensure that the child never lacks money throughout their life. Similarly, some Brazilian traditions suggest putting money in a child’s first shoes to attract financial prosperity.
Many fishermen around the world follow the tradition of throwing coins into the water before fishing to ensure a good catch. This practice combines practical economics (if you catch fish, you earn money) with spiritual beliefs about appeasing water spirits or deities.
Finding a penny is considered lucky in America (‘Find a penny, pick it up, all day long you’ll have good luck’), but only if the penny is facing heads up! A tails-up penny should be turned over for the next person to find, or the luck goes to them instead of you.
The Amazing World of Money
Money is so much more than just a way to buy things. It’s a fascinating part of human history that tells stories about our values, technology, and creativity. From ancient coins to digital cryptocurrencies, money continues to evolve and surprise us.
I hope these mind-blowing facts have given you a new appreciation for the bills and coins you use every day. Next time you handle money, take a moment to look closely — you might notice security features you never saw before, or even find a valuable error!
Have these facts about money changed how you think about what’s in your wallet? I’d love to hear which fact surprised you the most!
To be honest, there’s always more to learn about the things we use every day — even something as familiar as money.
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