Tally Stick (Paperback)

High Quality Content by WIKIPEDIA articles! A tally (or tally stick) was an ancient memory aid device to record and document numbers, quantities, or even messages.Tally sticks first appear as notches carved on animal bones, in the Upper Paleolithic. A notable example is the Ishango Bone.Historical reference is made by Pliny the Elder (AD 23 - 79) about the best wood to use for tallies and Marco Polo (1254-1324) who mentions the use of the tally in China. Principally there are two different kinds of tally sticks, the single and the split tally.