Arrowheads Beads
The commerce Before the invention of coins
Before the invention of coins, all commerce was done “in trade,” by bartering. Every time one man wanted to trade the extra goods he had for the goods he needed, he had to set a rate of exchange for each and every item he traded, with each and every one of his trading partners, each and every time they met. How much cauliflower for how much salt? How many sheep for a cow? What to pay to the chief in return for his protection?
This cumbersome process was probably confusing and time-consuming, and no doubt dreadfully inefficient and very stressful. It probably led to heated arguments and maybe even fights. Our man wants to trade a cow for some sheep, but the guy with the sheep wants a horse. The fellow with the food already has water and three daughters, but he’s willing to trade for husbands for his daughters, wine, or axes. But the guy who makes ax heads doesn’t feel well, so there’s a shortage of his fine product. The chief wants his taxes in arrowheads, axes, and knives, and probably not daughters. And so it went. Trade, although necessary, was barely productive and definitely not fun.
Out of this carousal of chaos in the barter economy came the first standards of trade. A standard in trade is an item that everyone who trades agrees has a value against which everything else can be judged and then traded. Objects used in this way have included seashells (in inland areas where seashells weren’t found), animals, beads, grain, salt, obsidian (volcanic glass), stone arrowheads and knives, and bone fishhooks, to name just a few. Standards of trade slightly simplified the trading process into a productive and at least somewhat social event.
Next came man’s discovery of metal in a natural state. The first of these metals was iron (from meteorites), followed by copper, gold, and silver. These metals were desirable to all men, not just because they were great for making tools, but because they were beautiful. Over time, the metals became the most acceptable items for exchange — a storehouse of value. Now a man could sell his cow today for gold, and have something to trade for food next month. These metals were, for the most part, small and convenient to carry and store, making for the first universal medium of exchange.
Still, during each trade, the amount of each metal varied in weight and in pureness. To solve this problem, the natural solution was the weighing and marking on each the value of each piece. Eventually the local chief took to marking each unit with its value and assigning his mark, indicating its acceptability in trade — a preset value. Trade expanded to include metal arrowheads and knife blades, even nails, the direct ancestors of coins as we know them today.
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historic arrowheads
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17″ Howlite Turquoise Arrowhead Pendant Bead Necklace $4.99 |
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Golden Sand Gemstone Arrowhead Round Bead Necklace 18″L $6.49 |
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Unakite Gemstone Round Arrowhead Beads Necklace 18″L $5.49 |
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W7766 2 Agate arrowhead pendant bead $5.50 |
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NATIVE STERLING SILVER ARROWHEAD NAVAJO BEAD TURQUOISE LAVA ROCK NECKLACE $79.99 |
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BLACK WHITE BLUE NATIVE STYLE ARROWHEAD BEADED EARRINGS $6.95 |
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H28287 Pyrite arrowhead pendant bead $5.00 |
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DREAMCATCHER HANDMADE with Willow Stone arrowhead handmade beads Feathers $10.99 |
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DREAMCATCHER HANDMADE with Willow Stone arrowhead handmade beads Feathers $11.99 |
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51x19MM ABLONE SHELL ARROWHEAD BEAD INLAID PENDANT 1PC $4.99 |
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s98191 Pyrite arrowhead pendant bead $3.50 |
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AUTHENTIC OLD MISSISSIPPI ARROWHEAD PENDANT NECKLACE w/Chevron Beads – BEAUTIFUL $12.99 |
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NATIVE ARROWHEAD SEED BEADED COWBOY HATBAND BELT H31/8 $9.95 |
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RELICS – ARROWHEAD – SCRAPER – SHELL BEAD – POTTERY PCS. ARTIFACT $9.95 |
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j85248 Two pyrite arrowhead pendant bead $6.00 |
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AUTHENTIC ARKANSAS ARROWHEAD PENDANT NECKLACE Jewelry – w/Chevron Beads $13.99 |
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Arrow Head Buckskin Leather Medicine Bag Bead Pouch 781 $9.95 |
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PEWTER ARROW HEAD EARINGS WITH TURQUOISE BEADS $4.95 |
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j87086 Pyrite arrowhead pendant bead $3.50 |
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140 PCs SHINY ROSE GOLD TONE 3CM “ARROW HEAD” CHARMS / WHOLESALE BEADS $0.01 |
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AUTHENTIC FLORIDA ARROWHEAD NECKLACE PENDANT Jewelry with VERY UNIQUE Beads $21.99 |
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TWO vintage BEADED-LEATHER coin-purses? arrowhead sachels? (SIGNED) ~TWO PC.LOT! $89.00 |
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w54633 Fluorite arrowhead pendant bead $3.50 |
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26 “African brown & bone beads with bone arrowhead penchant necklace & earrings $30.00 |
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arrowhead gemstone pendant jewelry making bead kit turquoise copper pl charm J $8.50 |
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AUTHENTIC FLORIDA ARROWHEAD NECKLACE PENDANT Jewelry with VERY UNIQUE Beads $18.99 |
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s95218 Pyrite arrowhead pendant bead $3.50 |
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j82192 Two multi-gem fluotite arrowhead pendant bead $5.00 |
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PURPLE BLUE WHITE ARROWHEAD BEADED EARRINGS WHOLESALE $6.95 |
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s95661 Two multi-gem arrowhead pendant beads $6.00 |
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Unakite Gemstone Round Arrowhead Beads Necklace 18″L $4.99 |
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WHOLESALE Charm Beads 140 PCs Shiny Rose Gold Tone 3CM “ARROW HEAD” Charms $0.01 |
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9P MAN-MADE RED TURQUOISE PENDANT ARROWHEAD LOOSE BEAD HOT Craft $2.99 |
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9P MAN-MADE WHITE TURQUOISE PENDANT ARROWHEAD LOOSE BEAD HOT Craft $2.99 |
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9P MAN-MADE PINK WHITE TURQUOISE PENDANT ARROWHEAD BEAD HOT Craft $2.99 |
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Tiffany Koi Fish Table Lamp – This Museum Quality All Hand Crafted 430 Piece Koi Fish Lamp Shade Replica Is Skillfully Hand Cut From the Finest Hand Rolled American Colored Art Glass, with Our Handcrafted 100% Solid Bronze Arrowhead Mosaic Table Lamp Base Replica. $2,135.00 Artistic Art Glass: Is proud to offer this museum quality tiffany koi fish lamp shade replica, with our handcrafted 100% solid red-brass bronze tiffany arrowhead mosaic table lamp base replica. Size: W16″inch x H18″inch. This all hand crafted 430 piece tiffany koi fish lamp shade replica is skillfully hand cut from the finest hand rolled American colored art glass, such as Uroboros, Bullseye, Ocea… |
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Universal adapter (with bead 12v 1.4 x 3.5 cec/rohs) for the 7xx, ck32as and ck3x $37.00 Univ adapter w/bead 12v 1.4×3. 5 cec/rohs 7xx,ck32as,ck3x… |
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Arrowhead Necklace Craft Kit (Makes 12) $8.99 Make colorful craft necklaces with realistic plastic arrowheads, easy-string pony beads and 24″ rattail cord. Easily tie into curriculum on Native American culture and traditions. Instructions included…. |
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Indian Trade Relics Identification & Values (Artifacts and Collectibles) $29.95 Over 1,150 color photos of actual artifacts hundreds of years old, each with accurate and detailed captions. Subjects include glass beads, cloth, ornaments, knives, firearms, traps, and axes. The A. H. Gottschall collection has its own chapter. There are also gunflints, arrowheads, tomahawks, kettles, and miscellaneous tradegoods. Highly interesting facts and incidents about early traders and thei… |
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Black Obsidian Arrowheads (Natural)set of 5 Collectible 1-1/2×1/2 to 2-3/4×1-1/4 Inch Arrowhead. $9.99 Crudely hand-knapped from black volcanic obsidian by Aztec Indians. Perfect for wire-wrapping or native decorations. They are undrilled.Set of 5 1-1/2×1/2 to 2-3/4×1-1/4 inch arrowheads. Pictured are a sampling of a 5 set lot. Each arrowhead is unique and vary in size and cut…. |
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Kansas City Chiefs Leather Necklace Beads & Pewter Pendant – NFL Football Fan Shop Sports Team Merchandise $10.95 Kansas City Chiefs leather necklace with beads and enameled pewter NFL Team Pendant…. |