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Origin and Evolution of Money
Barter
Money, as we know it today, is the result of a long process.
At the beginning, there was no money. People engaged in barter, the exchange of merchandise for merchandise, without value equivalence.
Then, a person catching more fish than the necessary for himself and his group, exchanged his excess fish for the surplus of another person who, for instance, had planted and harvested more corn that what he would need. This elementary form of trade prevailed at the beginning of civilization, and may be found today among people of primitive economies, in regions where difficult access makes money scarce and, even in special situations, where people barter items without regard for their equivalence in value. This is the case, for instance, of a child who exchanges with his friend an expensive toy for another of lesser value, which it treasures.
