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CONGO (DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC): iron Bangala spearhead (704g), Choice VF

Currency:USD Category:Antiques / Ethnographic Start Price:130.00 USD Estimated At:150.00 - 200.00 USD
CONGO (DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC): iron Bangala spearhead (704g), Choice VF
SOLD
200.00USD+ (40.00) buyer's premium + applicable fees & taxes.
This item SOLD at 2022 Sep 16 @ 19:24UTC-7 : PDT/MST
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CONGO (DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC): iron Bangala spearhead (704g), Opitz p.313, Ballarini p.120-121, 43 x 14.5cm, comprising a fish-shaped body with a bulbous tip and finned ends, used by the Ngbaka people solely as currency (locally known simply as mbili ngbaka, "money of the Ngbaka"), as its blunt edges make it impractical as a weapon, Choice VF, ex Charles Opitz Collection. 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.