In the territory of Lithuania, the monetary system formed in the 13th–first half of the 14th century. In the exchange of goods, the most frequently used means of settlement were silver bars and coins from other territories.
In Lithuania, coins were most often fused into silver bars, from which originated the first Lithuanian money — Lithuanian “longs” (Lith. Ilgieji or kapos). The notches on a bar were for establishing the quality of the silver. The Scandinavian mark was taken as the basis for the weight of semi-cylindrical stick-shaped silver bars. The half-mark (104 g) constituted the average weight of the Lithuanian longs.
Oblong-shaped silver bars were widespread across the region inhabited by the Baltic tribes in the 11th century until the first coins appeared in the second half of the 14th century. The form of the bar was likely determined by the simplicity of its production and convenience for the user. The simplest method of casting an oblong stick-shaped ingot was to pour, with a scoop of a certain volume, the necessary amount of molten silver into a groove made in soil (or clay/sand).
The Lithuanian longs were of particularly high value (one such bar could buy 14 sheep or a cow); therefore, when in circulation, they were often cut into smaller pieces, usually by cutting them in half.
