It is believed that the use of a commodity to gain a good or service dates back at least 75,000 years. The use of so-called "representative money," such as currency printed on paper, dates back only about 1,300 years. China was the first country to use paper money.

The history of money is a fascinating tale of the use of barter, farm animals, cowrie shells and other commodities that people have used to get what they want.

You can read all about the history of money, see how it has changed in use and looks over the centuries and access a bibliography of "money" resources in the "History of Money" page created by the Library's Business Reference Services team.

The page offers links to many Web sites of Federal Reserve Banks, such as the one in Atlanta, which gives "Fundamental Facts About U.S. Money." Here, you can learn about the types of U.S. money; currency features such as watermarks, security threads, microprinting, color-shifting ink and other devices used to thwart counterfeiters; and the denominations of bills printed today.