Funny Money - (Cut and paste version)

In 1642 (1) ___ General Assembly of Virginia solemnly passed 2) ___ law declaring tobacco 3) ___ only valid currency in 4) ___ colony. 5) ___ tobacco then remained 6) ___ basis of Virginian currency for over 7) ___ century. This was not such 8) ___ strange aberration as it might seem. 9) ___ History shows that virtually anything scarce, durable and desirable can become 10) ___ money.

In more recent times, 11) ___ most varied objects have functioned as money, from 12) ___ dogs' teeth in New Guinea to drums on 13) ___ island of Alor in Indonesia. In 14) ___ Thailand, most parts of a tiger could be used as 15) ___ cash, including 16) ___ claws and 17) ___ tongue. In 18) ___ course of time, as in (19) ___ China, 20) ___ real thing was replaced by 21) ___ replica. pieces of silver in (22) ___ shape of 23) ___ tiger's tongue were still changing hands in Thailand only 24) ___ few years ago.

But 25) ___ greatest success story among strange currencies was undoubtedly the cowries shell. For many centuries it was accepted in payment through much of 26) ___ Africa and Asia. In the French Sudan, cowries remained an acceptable currency for paying taxes until 1907, when they at last succumbed to 27) ___ relentless advance of paper money and coins.