Photographs © Tim Hamill
KING MANILLA 22
"Bracelet" Currency
10.5" wide
$250
SOLD
West Africa
We do not know the age of this piece but would speculate that it is newer rather than older.
The most common form of metal currency in West Africa was the manilla, a rod with flared ends and bent into a "bracelet" form. Usually made from a copper alloy, forms like these were recognized and used as currency for transactions from the end of the 15th to the mid-20th century. The smaller ones were manufactured in England or France and, like trade beads, were used for trade, including the slave trade, with Africa and ended up there. Larger queen and king (like this one) manillas were more likely to have been forged in Africa. The metal content varies from copper to brass, but many were mixed with lead and even iron. There are in addition variations in size, form and quality. The Africans valued them by their ring when struck.
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