Shell money most valued by the Native American tribes of the Pacific Coast from Alaska to northwest California was "Dentalium shell", a species of long narrow marine shelled mollusk, a tusk shell or scaphopod. The tusk shell is naturally open at both ends, and can easily be strung on a thread. This shell money was valued by its length rather than the exact number of shells; the "ligua", the highest denomination in their currency, was a length of about 6 inches. Farther south, in central California and southern California, the shell of the olive snail "Olivella biplicata" was used to make beads
Wampum, Pennsylvania Wampum, Pennsylvania Wampum is a borough in Lawrence County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 717 at the 2010 census. Wampum is located at (40.888657, -80.339650). According to the United States Census Bureau, the borough has a total area of , of which is land and , or 4.17%, is water. As of the census of 2000, there were 678 people, 290 households, and 182 families residing in the borough. The population density was 736.1 people per square mile (284.5/km²). There were 310 housing units at an average density of 336.6 per square mile (130.1/km²). The racial makeup of the