It did make sense for expensive denominations in wealth to be less portable than smaller ones.

I personally suspect that these kinds of trades were only conducted between peoples rather than persons. Like a semi-portable monument to a trade agreement. This would be handy for keeping track on which trade agreements have been made and which ones are completed.

As for crypto-currencies - I somewhat understand the logic behind it but in my view there is room for currency expansion and contraction within particular circumstances.

Thus its not the value of the currency that necessarily goes up or down - but the supply. I'd have to think about it some more as last time I gave it serious thought was almost 20 years ago.