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I finally found one I liked ( and could afford).

 

They're not made of metal, but they were used as a medium of exchange between the Indians and the colonists, so I consider them money. They are a little hard to grade, maybe a VG.

 

Apparently many of the shells in wampum were from regions far away from some of the tribes using them. This implies a vigorous trade and travel network that spanned large areas of North America.

(Of course, that broke down when the Europeans arrived and brought smallpox and other diseases with them. I have seen estimates of a 90% population drop in the 100 years after contact. That, of course, destroys the entire structure of society and leaves only a tiny number of survivors to try to fend for themselves.)

I hope this doesn’t strike anyone as political; it’s just historical.

 

Interesting acquisition! This article was a couple years ago but I recalled reading about it when seeing your post. “This may be the first example of the use of money anywhere in the Americas at this time.”
Chumash Indians Were Using Shell Bead Money 2,000 Years Ago
https://www.sci.news/archaeology/chumash-money-09303.html
Yes, the depopulation of the Americas following contact was rapid and extreme. There's even a theory that it affected the global climate.

 

1927 PCGS AU58

 

Nepal, 1 paisa, 1908, came today.

 

Not gorgeous, but a good story, somewhat rare. Late die state, medium O. Pretty good level of detail remaining for the grade, possibly in part because of a strong strike. I now have only a few half dimes absent from my 1840 mint set. Not all the coins in the set are super special, but some are, and they are all old... The missing half dimes are so small, I find them difficult to develop an interest in....

 

I got me a new lowball. It should grade po01. 1876 CC seated half. I prefer to buy them already graded but for the price, this was right. Graded they want 200-300. Got this for 65. I would prefer to find this with darker patina around the devices on the reverse. More like the obverse. But still very nice. I debated about a week before I decided to just go for it before someone else did. I have a bunch of other coins waiting for submission to PCGS. This will go nicely with the rest.

 

From a dansco album