[HISTORIANS ONLY] How did people co-exist back before...?

Question

... there was money/currency? Before there was gold to be exchanged for goods and services.

What did people trade?

Answer 1

People bartered grain, cows, shoes, giant stone rings, cowrie shells, you name it.   You go to the market with whatever you produce,  and swap for what you need.  This leads to problems.  If all you have are cows, and you want to buy a loaf of bread, how do you make change?   You might end up with a whole lotta bread, or cowrie shells, or a giant stone ring.  Anyway, metal coins caught on, much easier to carry than giant stone rings.  See "Joachimsthaler", or "thaler".

The picture of the king on it meant that it had recognized value (at least in his kingdom), and  coins are divisible. The Spanish "piece of 8" could be broken into 8 parts to make change.  A quarter dollar is still known as "two bits".

Coinage had such obvious advantages that it spread rapidly.

By offering various denominations, it is not necessary to break coins into pieces to make change.  Governments discover that they can "debase" coinage, by putting a little less gold or silver into the coinage.  See "Gresham's Law".

In fairly modern times, governments discover they can really cheat the populace by issuing paper money.  While initially the paper money is exchangable for gold or silver, eventually the exchange privilege is taken away, and the paper purports to have value in and of itself. See "fiat currency".

Up until fairly recent times, governments settled international debts the old fashioned way, with gold.  See "Bretton Woods".  In 1971, Richard "I am not a crook" Nixon slammed the door shut on paying foreign governments in  gold for their American dollars.  It is estimated that foreign governments currently hold  1 trillion US Dollars that they can exchange for gold on the open market at current market rates, approximately $920US / troy oz.

Answer 2

Different things. Native Americans used wampum, which was strings of bead. Cultures have used diverse things as currency throughout the ages. Salt was used in the ancient world in some societies because it was so precious. Some early American civilizations (such as Mayans) used corn at one point and some used shells. Also, many socieities used the barter system, which means that goods (like food, pottery, etc) would be given in exchange for services.

However, most societies did use some form of money based on gold or silver. Precious metals have been utilized by humankind for thousands of years, earlier than you might realize. Archeologists doing digs for cultures that existed as far back as Babylon and ancient Egypt have found itens made from precious metals.

Answer 3

Trade was through barter-exchange of goods &/or services for goods &/or services.

Edit-whatever of they had that was a surplus, that was of some value to someone else.  Much of what was traded depends entirely on what region(s) one is disscussing & on what period of history one is focusing.  Anything can be bartered.   Studies of neolithic sites have demonstrated trade in amber, flint, copper, tin, iron, gold (this doesn't mean gold as a currency, just as another trade good),  gemstones, & shells. (this list is not all inclusive, just something for you to get and idea about).