The origin and use of money is written by Adam Smith, which introduces and explains how money is what is it till this day starting from the division of labour to the evolution of money and it's value.
Once the division of labour was established, men's excess labour from their production were in exchange for goods from other men's excess labour. Exchanging excess labour has become a routine in men's everyday lives, in which they become merchants and led to a commercial society. .
The start of exchanging labour from merchant to merchant had interruptions and problems. When one man's excess commodity are up for exchange but other man's excess commodity are less, not in need of an exchange, except for the difference of production, an exchange cannot be granted from the merchant, therefore they become less beneficial to each other. To divert from these inconveniency, people should have a certain quantity of commodity or other so they are unlikely to reject the exchange from the products of their industry. .
Ages ago in society, cattle's were frequently used in commerce for trade, yet it is inconvenient. During the old ages, things were valued compatible to the amount of cattle's that were traded in. More rare, and needed things will demand more cattle's, and workmen were to carry nails over money to a baker's shop.
At last, men had decided to use metals over other commodity's for trade and exchange of goods, for they are kept with less loss compared to other commodities, they are less perishable, can be divided into numerous parts without damage and combined again with fusion; in which no other commodity can do. Often enough, men were obligated to trade in a whole cattle and gain less in return because what they gave for exchange can rarely be divided up and attain no loss. When men could substitute metals in for cattle's, making the precise quantity for the commodity that he needs would be less of a hassle.