now i know this is fake lol

Well, even though I would never collect Yap money, we shouldn't throw too many stones at those who do. There is quite a spectrum of generally agreed beauty in money. Dekadrahms of Euainetos and St. Gaudins double eagles are one end of the spectrum. But take a look at the earliest Roman money, the aes rude (see link). There are ancient Roman collectors who spend big bucks to acquire these chunks of bronze.

But for a truly ridiculous auction item, consider that Sotheby's just auctioned Russell Crowe's jock strap for $7,000. Did you get your bid in? Makes bidding on Yap money look sane, at least.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aes_rude

Cal

 

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Pu O Hiro wasn't just a status symbol, although it may seem that way. It had very deep significance to the Easter Island culture. Obviously, it's rarity just as a stone makes it rather special. After all, a stone that makes a musical tone when the wind blows the right way is pretty amazing, especially when it is the only one known in the world. But its significance to the Easter Island culture is much greater than that. You have to know that Easter Island is practically a desert, since there are absolutely NO sources of ground water there for wells. Every drop of water that comes to Easter Island, to this very day, comes with the rain. When people ask for a bottle of water while touring Easter Island, they get a bottle of rain water, not some fancy Perrier or Maya or anything like that. Those things simply don't exist there. Now, consider what else comes with rain in such a place. The short answer is LIFE, the ability to grow food. And what heralds the coming of the rains? Wind! Not just any wind, but wind that is also associated with the arrival of shoals of fish that could be harvested for food by those early islanders. So you see, being in possession of Pu O Hiro wasn't just a sign of status for a particular clan. It was also the sign of their responsibility for the well-being of the entire culture by ensuring that the rains came as they should, and THAT, my friends, is a status that only the most powerful of the clans could hold. Hence the wars for possession of Pu O Hiro. (of course, the rock itself had nothing to do with whether or not the rains came, but you can't argue with the power of traditions and superstitions in neolithic cultures...)

 

https://auctions.stacksbowers.com/lots/view/3-96F3I

I felt kind of lucky at the StacksBowers preview in NY. They let me touch it