The 13 Weirdest Currencies In The World

Rai Stone

Giant circular limestones with a hole in the center called Rai stone, are used as currency on the island of Yap in Micronesia. The monsterous coins can be anywhere from 5 – 20 feet in diameter The value of a Rai stone depends on the size and weight of the stone plus the difficulty of transporting them. Value was also affected by the history of a particular stone, such as how many people died transporting it!

Katanga Cross

Katanga crosses were used as currency in the copper mining region of what used to be Zaire in Africa. The copper crosses weigh from about a half pound to 2.5 pounds.

Manchuko Yuan

The Manchukuo yuan  was a currency unit instituted by the Japanese for use in the occupied area of Manchuria. In 1944 and 1945, the supply of metal was low due to the war, and 1 fen and 5 fen coins were made of a red or brown cardboard material.

Kissi Money

Kissi Money was used in several west African regions until the 20th century. The twisted iron bards had a “T” shape at one end and a spatula shape on the other. If an iron rod broke, it could no longer be used unless restored in a special ceremony by the Zoe, or traditional witchdoctor.

German Wooden Money

In Post World War II Germany metal was so scarce that towns printed currency on whatever was available, including wooden boards.

US Death Threat Dollars

Colonial America did not mess around with counterfeiters. All 13 colonies printed “to counterfeit is death” as a threat on their currency.

The Hungarian 100 Million Billion Dollar Bill

Rampant inflation in 1946 Hungary lead to the bill with the highest denomination ever, the 100 million, billion Pengo, worth about 20 American pennies.

The Tugrik Record-a-Coin

The 2007 Mongolian 500 Tugrik coin has President John F. Kennedy on one side, with a tiny button that if pressed, plays a sound bite from his famous “Ich bin ein Berliner” speech.

Zaire’s Cut Out Bills

Why waste good money! In 1997, when Jospeh Mobutu was overthrown in Zaire (now the Democratic Republic of the Congo) the new government simply cut his image out of the existing currency.

Palau Holy Water Coins

The island nation of Palau issued a silver dollar coin in 2007 with the image of Virgin Mary. What is unusual about this coin is that embedded in the metal is a tiny vial containing holy water from Lourdes, France.

Zimbabwe’s 46 Million dollar Dollar

As Zimbabwe’s economy collapses, so does the value of their currency. On March 11, 2008, it was reported that 1 USD could be exchanged for 46 million Zimbabwean revalued dollars in parallel markets. The currency was suspended for a as of 2009.

World’s Smallest Coin (Actual size below)

The smallest coin historically is the Quarter silver Tara of Vijayanagar, which weights just .06 grams and has a diameter of 4 mm.

World’s Largest Legal Tender (Oh Canada!)

Canada has released the largest piece of legal tender in the world. The $1 million Canadian dollar coin, is made of 99.999% gold bullion and weighs 220 pounds. It sells for more than twice it’s face value because of the price of gold.

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