Many would look at the concept of fei as an abstract form of wealth. Fei are large stone coins that were used by the islanders of Yap, which showed wealth and possessed full buying power. The islanders of Yap did business with the fei just as we would today with our money. However, if a particular fei was too large to be easily moved, the person who received the fei left it where it was and just reserved the knowledge that it belonged to them.

If we were to compare this to our monetary system today, we would notice a lot of similarities. Our money is just as intristically worthless, but has value for trade, as the stone fei. Because we see a certain value with a coin or piece of paper, and we associate what we could buy for it. Above all, the value of any form of money is determined by the receiver. For example, trying to buy a coffee from Wawa with a Russian ruble won’t get you very far. Even though the ruble may be able to buy a coffee in Russia, it will not be accepted in America. When someone uses their debit card, there is a process similar to that of the Yap; all participants realize the wealth has changed hands even though there has been no physical exchange.