Before the advent of "paper and ink" Tally sticks were an ancient accounting device used to record and document numbers, quanties and amounts. (some nations allowed the use of Tally sticks well into the 20th Century). For instance, a Chinese dock worker helps unload a cargo ship. He is given a Tally stick so the dock foreman can record the number of sacks of rice the worker unloads for the day. Tally sticks can be made of bamboo, wood, bone, rice or any metal. The marks were cut into the surface of the Tally (bamboo, bone, rice, wood)or painted on the Tally (metal) Accounting marks on Tally sticks vary according to the region where they were used. Most of Europe, England, its protectorates, and America used an accounting system you, probably, used yourself, the Five-bar gate: I = 1: II = 2: III =3: IIII = 4: IIII with either a back slash (/) or a forward slash (\) across the 4 upright marks = 5 thus counting went 5, 10, 15, 20 plus the remainder of upright marks or cuts. African and Oriental regions used symbols to docunent their transactions. Here's some photos of Tally sticks: http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/images/museum/enlarge/6.jpg Guess just how far back in time the use of Tally sticks began. Marco Polo mentions China's use of Tally sticks way back in the early 1300s. Pliny the Elder (AD 23- 79) picked hazelwood as the best wood for Tallies. The most famous ancient Tally is the so called Ishango Bone dating back to about 20,000 BC. Here's a photo courtesy of Wikipedi: (Click photo for enlargement) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Ishango_bone.jpg But we're not done yet. The Ishango Bone is the hardest bone of a baboon (fibula). But there is another baboon fibula bone Tally dating back to 35,000 BC. It was excavated from a cave located in the Lebomba Mountains of Swaziland so it is referred to as the Lebomba bone Tally. Down through the years, in order to prevent fraud, some changes were made to Tally sticks. The original Tally stick was a single unit. In many medieval European, England (where coins were always in short supply) in particular, countries a Split Tally became the common accounting medium to record bilateral exchange and debts. The first Split Tallies were squared hazelwood sticks which were marked with a system of notches and then split lengthwise. This way the two halves both record the same notches and each party to the transaction received one half of the marked stick as proof. To verify the past transaction the two halves were fitted together at the break (split). Further refinement created a Split Tally of two different lengths making it almost tamper proof. The longer part was called stock and was given to the party who had advanced money or (other items) to the receiver. Hence the word "stockholder" (and now you know). The shorter portion of the stick was called "foil" and was given to the party who had received the funds/property/wares. This proved so successful it became a tool used by England's Exchquer for the collection of taxes by local sherriffs. These Tallies became known as Royal Tallies (debt of the Crown). They had their own system of cuts: "At the top of the Tally a cut is made, the thickness of the palm of the hand, to represent a thousand pounds; then a hundred pounds by a cut the breadth of a thumb; twenty pounds, the breadth of the little finger; a single pound, the width of a swollen barleycorn; a shilling rather narrower than a penny is marked by a single cut without removing any wood." Royal Tally sticks soon became a medium of currency exchange in their own right and, due to a great proliferation of them by the end of the 17th Century, they were trading at discounts up to 60 per cent of face value. The Bank of England was formed by engrafting Royal Tallies into the Bamk's capital stock. As things got out of hand, England's hierarchy and Parliament decided something needed to be done so the two authorities concluded Tallies must go. A decree was issued making them an illegal form of currency and a complete recall was ordered. As the volumn of recalled Talley sticks grew, and there was no room to warehouse them, they were to be destroyed by fire. A few men were selected to burn the Tallies in a stove located inside the Houses of Parliament. Everything went well for a few hours, but as time passed, the men became more and more impatient. One by one they began stuffing armloads of Tallies into the stove. Soon all them were jamming and stuffing the stove full. Finally, too full of the burning sticks, the door to the stove popped open and flaming sticks fell to the floor. The flames got out of control setting the building afire (and now you know how Parliament was destroyed). Some regions developed their own Tally system. Here's a photo of another type of Tally used in Wales: http://www.coinarchives.com/w/lotviewer.php?LotID=565464&AucID=413&Lot=233 Inuit Eskimo Tribes developed Messenger sticks. Both Darius of Persia (521 - 486 BC) and the Inca Indians (independently of each other) developed a mathematics system using a variety of knots on a Cord. The Chinese Abacus is a superior Tally device. Here's a photo. Note the number represented is 6,302,715,408: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Abacus_6.png Ever play Cribbage? The Cribbage board is a Tally device. Hete'a photo courtesy of Wikimedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Trad_Cribbage_Board.jpg Probably, of all modern applications of a Talley, the one most well known in Europe and the Americas is the Catholic Rosary! Thought you'd like to know, do you? Clinker - Numismatic Fun Website Updated 1-3-09 http://www.bravehost.com/funpage2.html
That was some very cool trivia Clinker, thanks for putting it together. I was just recently reading about the knoted cords used by the Incas, not just for accounting but also for more general historical records.
Hi! Yes they, and some African tribes, actually made knotted cords recording events in a person's life from birth. Some eskimo tribes had runners carry knotted cord invitations to other tribes as invitations to weddings, funerals and other tribal events... Clinker
Informative. I will tell that stock holder meaning to my brothers daytrader friend, in 3-5 years. Great post!
