A shortage of money was a problem for the American colonies. England did not supply its colonies with sufficient coinage and prohibited them from making their. The early settlers brought coins from Europe but they went quickly back there to pay for supplies. Without enough money, the colonists had to barter for goods or use primitive currency such as Indian wampum, nails, and tobacco. In time, some Spanish, Portuguese and French coins appeared in the colonies as a result of trade with the West Indies. The most famous of these was the Spanish Dollarwhich served as the unofficial national currency of the colonies for much of the 17th and 18th centuries. With its distinctive design and consistent silver content, the Spanish dollar was the most trustworthy coin the colonists knew. InMassachusetts challenged England’s ban on colonial coinage. The colony struck a series of silver coins, including the Pine Tree Shilling.