2. A history of moneyr At rst, it might seem that valuable commodities, such as cattle or lead barsr might be good forms of money. What makes paper money preferable to these alternatives? 0 It is less likely to be stolen. 0 It is divisible (unlike cattle) and easily portable {unlike lead bars}. 0 It has more intrinsic value than cattle or lead. Coins were an important monetary invention because: 0 "hey are intrinsically valuable if they are made from precious metals like silver or gold 0 \"hey can be used in vending machines O "heir value may be counted rather than measured Currently, dollar bills in the United States are an example of: 0 Fiat money 0 Ideal money 0 Commodity money m