Ask any brilliant, economic mind out there what money or currency is. And they will go all out to say something like this:

Money is a current medium of exchange in form of coins and banknotes. Also, it refers to the assets, resources or wealth owned by something or someone.

One word that catches one’s eyes in this scholarly definition is the use of the word ‘current’. Somehow, this presupposes the idea that money as a medium of exchange evolves from time to time. Although we now employ coins and banknotes as our current currency. This might yet get to change in times to come.

Or has the change come already?

Well, steadily and surely, the currency/money change is happening. In fact, it is so in the air. First, there was the cashless policy. And now, there are online wallets from where you can save, withdraw and even spend money. Invariably, at the forefront of this cashless currency is VTpass.

VTpass is an online payment platform where anyone can pay for their everyday services. With, you can buy your MTN, GLO, AIRTEL and 9MOBILE airtime and data subscription. And also, you can also pay your electricity bills, DSTV, STARTIMES and GOTV cable tv subscriptions as well as perform other transactions.

And yes, as a registered user, VTpass also serves as an online wallet. Not only can you save any amount of money in a safe and secure wallet that belongs solely to you. You can also pay for services right from this wallet. What this means is that without having to withdraw from the bank and the likes, you can settle your everyday expenses. Right from your VTpass wallet, you can pay your electricity bills, tv subscriptions, data and airtime.

Evidently, the next medium of exchange is already on your doorstep with

But then, it would be good if we took a time travel to the older generations to know just what they spent. If anything else, the coins and banknotes that seem to pervade everywhere were not in anyway what the Amazons and traditional people of the past spent.

So, here are the forms of money that were spent back in the days.

Let’s start with the most familiar of things:

  1. Gold: Now this is very familiar but rare. When gold was very abundant in African countries like Gold Coast (Ghana) and non-African countries like America’s California, it was of rare currency value. currencyJust like people would do anything for a lot of banknotes, it was not unusual to see people becoming slave miners just to get the feel of gold.
  2. Silver: Along this line, refined silver was also a valuable means to buy and sell.silver,currency
  3. Beads: Now going way back in time, beads were also of very weighty value.
  4. Stones: Now it is getting to sound ludicrous, right? Well, wait till you see others.
  5. cowry: This is quite familiar and precious. It was especially known with African countries like Nigeria. Now cowries are merely used as adornments, can you imagine?cowry,currency
  6. Shell: Don’t be put off. Using shell as a medium of exchange is actually the same as using cowries. Maybe even more precious. These shells, mostly clam and conch shells, are usually beautiful and exotic. Something you would want to keep with you, even. Now, you can simply find them at the beach. But this does not reduce their value,currency
  7. Copper: It’s a wonder if the people in the past ever knew that copper would count for something in the electrical world. Well, whether they knew or not, they thought of it as a valuable money medium.
  8. Salt: It was quite a luxury getting to have your food sweetened with salt. So yes, it served as a medium of exchange in the past. This might be due to its manner of discovery and the very fact that it was hard to refine and all.
  9. Paper:  The discovery of paper from trees created a very mad rush for it. It was a marvel. Well, not like this is any different from what we have. What we have now are faces printed on paper.
  10. Animals: Now this has nothing to do with the buying and selling of animals for festivities. This actually involves using animals as cows and sheeps as currencies. Not only that, even fishes and animal dungs were means of trade by barter. The dungs of bats, in particular, were very expensive currencies.
  11. Plants: The people of the past hadn’t a care in the world so they could afford to trade barley for tea plants. Just as they could mess around with using peppercorns and rice as money values. Now rice was quite something then.
  12. Blood: Don’t puke at this one. Because any day, anytime, the human blood will always be valuable and a viable currency. Blood is life itself; it restores life to a dying person. It’s no wonder we have a blood bank. And if kidneys, lungs, hearts, hair and the likes are now donated, why couldn’t the people of the past sell blood.

So we are now past all these old currencies and money medium. And we are even walking into a new era of online exchanges. Indeed, change is the one constant thing in life. Vtpass forewords this new line of movement with the VTpass wallet. By being a registered member of, you can save, withdraw and transfer money from your VTpass wallet. Not only that, you can also make payment for your everyday services in three easy steps through your VTpass wallet. Hence, you can pay your electricity bills, Mtn, Airtel, Glo and 9mobile airtime and data subscriptions. You can as well as renew your Dstv, Gotv and Startimes subscriptions through

The future is already here with and you can’t afford to be left behind.



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