per was almost worth
its weight in gold for trading purposes. A few complete examples,
together with numerous fragments, have been recovered.

Brass Casting Counters or Jettons.--Most of these thin brass tokens or
counters (similar in appearance to coins) were made in Germany during
the second half of the 16th century. In Europe they were used on
counting boards for making mathematical calculations, but in the New
World it is believed that they were used in the Indian trade.
Approximately a dozen have been found at Jamestown. Three were also
found on Roanoke Island (site of Raleigh's ill-fated "Lost Colony") and
one was recovered in an Indian shell mound near Cape Hatteras, not too
distant from Croatoan Island (known today as Ocracoke Island). Many of
the counters in the Jamestown collection were made by Hans Schultes and
Hans Laufer of Nuremberg, who manufactured such jettons between 1550 and
1574, at which time Nuremberg was a center for the making of casting
counters. Some of the counters have holes punched through them,
indicating that the Indians may have worn them around their necks like
pendants, suspended from leather thongs.

Miscellaneous Items.--Other objects which the English used in trade with
the Indians were colored cloth, glass toys, and whistles; but no
examples of these have been recovered during archeological explorations.

[Illustration: A WHARF SCENE--ARRIVAL OF A SHIP FROM THE MOTHER COUNTRY.
(Conjectural sketch by Sidney E. King.)]

ENGLISH AND FOREIGN TRADE

During the 17th century, active trade was carried on between the
Virginia colony and the mother country. Local commodities of timber,
wood products, soap ashes, iron ore, tobacco, pitch, tar, furs,
minerals, salt, sassafras, and other New World raw materials were
shipped to England. In exchange, English merchants sold to the
colonists, tools, farm implements, seeds, stock and poultry, furniture
and household accessories, clothing, weapons, hardware, kitchen
utensils, pottery, metalware, glassware, and certain foods and drinks.

There is also good evidence that some trade was carried on with Holland,
Germany, Italy, Spain, Portugal, France, Mexico, and the West Indies.
Many artifacts unearthed (especially pottery) were made in the countries
mentioned. It is believed that certain commodities were acquired by
direct trade with the country where made, in spite of the strict laws by
which the Colonial Powers sought to monopolize the coloni