Complicated System Surrounded Pacific Northwest ‘Coppers’

Editor’s Note: For nearly 70 years, the feature-rich pages of Coins magazine, Numismatic News’ venerable sister publication, have tracked the history, fun and the growth of this great hobby, while also attracting new collectors to pursue what was once deemed the “hobby of kings.” Dusting off these time-aged issues, from the early 1960s and beyond, each installment of “Past Times with Coins,” written by its former longtime editor, explores what nuggets of interest they contain.

For many years, at the visitors’ entrance to Krause Publications in Iola, Wis., a piece of Yap stone money was on display. This one, a smaller version of the large, immovable forms found on the island of Yap, was still very impressive. I’ve also seen Swedish magazine, I wasn’t aware of the large, hammered copper pieces used by the Native Americans of the Pacific Northwest as rather bizarre status symbols.