From: miketwofeathers@gmail.com   
      
   Jos Boersema wrote:   
   > There are various ways in which you could make barter trade   
   > easier by having a third thing to trade into: Person A wants   
   > to trade carrots with person B, person B only has coats: it   
   > is solved by trading into a third thing that is easily divisible.   
   > Europeans have typically used gold or silver. Shells, feathers,   
   > rice (China) have also been used.   
   >   
   > When designing a currency you have the problem of who creates   
   > it, and who ends up controlling it. Ideally the people at large   
   > control it. Blankets and furs as currency means everyone can   
   > create a little bit of 'money' by doing work; the money also   
   > eventually and gradually destroys itself as the blanket gets   
   > worn out and looses value. As far as I know that is the most   
   > perfect system of money creation. The blankets are also real   
   > value in themselves, and no effort is lost by maintaining an   
   > artificial currency of worthless goodies (such as coins or bills.)   
   > The blanket can be used a bit, looses some value accordingly,   
   > and can then still be traded. Unused blankets will probably last   
   > quite long without loosing value (compare to rice which might   
   > rot away at some point).   
   >   
   > Native people have much to learn the Europeans about economics   
   > it would seem; sadly the Europeans never want to know anything.   
   >   
      
   the only thing they would have for a blanket would have been a hide,   
   furs were the number one trade item for northern and eastern tribes.   
   food was never traded but shared with anyone as was women.   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)