2587

CAMEROUN: iron double hoe money (2156g), VF

Currency:USD Category:Antiques / Ethnographic Start Price:55.00 USD Estimated At:60.00 - 90.00 USD
CAMEROUN: iron double hoe money (2156g), VF
SOLD
170.00USD+ (34.00) buyer's premium + applicable fees & taxes.
This item SOLD at 2022 Sep 17 @ 16:26UTC-7 : PDT/MST
PLEASE NOTE: You must request a bid limit when you register. If you would like to have a large bid limit, you must provide adequate references, or you must have previously established strong credit history with our company. Late registration may result in delayed approval.
CAMEROUN: iron double hoe money (2156g), Opitz p.158, 64.5 x 25cm, comprising two diamond-shaped halves, used by the Mambila people of Cameroun and Nigeria as payment and as bride price, VF. Opitz divides African metal currencies into 3 rough categories based on their utility. The first category includes objects where the distinction between their use as tools and use as money is minor. The second category includes those that retain their original shape, but are made of a finer, perhaps less practical material. Objects in the last category have completely lost their shape as practical tools and instead have a standardized weight and size, and are therefore strictly a currency. As metal was a scarce commodity in Africa before the 20th century, all three categories were considered extremely valuable and widely used in exchanges.