It's been forever. I want stay it as "jail" style mc server where you had currency just dollars and you could sell or buy things to npc or other players. Granted in that style of gameplay you still did not have something like an auction house.

For that they tended to be pvp server in the jail areas and people would often just demand half your diamonds or they "offer" to buy them off you cheap or just kill you and take them lol. Ah nothing like "paying" for protection in that kind of server. I was never very good at pvp.