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19th Century Iron African Currency Blade

About the Item

Wonderful object with arrow shaped blades. Beautiful decorative with complex and fascinating history; Iron currency tokens are among the most compelling and virtuosic of sub-Saharan blacksmiths’ designs. The shapes of precolonial currency tokens were often derived from blade forms of tools and weapons—so essential was the work accomplished by forged iron objects to local political economies that they were synonymous with value itself. These currency forms stood as payment in the exchanges that mattered most in life: marriage; litigation; ransom of battle captives; and the purchase of horses, enslaved persons, and other prized commodities. Hoe-blade-shaped currencies were created as bridewealth tokens by many African societies, linking agricultural productivity to the reproductive power and labor a wife brings to a household. Sold on the stand - condition is wonderful for age.
  • Dimensions:
    Height: 16.93 in (43 cm)Width: 14.97 in (38 cm)Depth: 0.79 in (2 cm)
  • Materials and Techniques:
    Iron,Forged
  • Place of Origin:
    Africa
  • Period:
    Late 19th Century
  • Date of Manufacture:
    1800s
  • Condition:
    Wear consistent with age and use.
  • Seller Location:
    Vancouver, CA
  • Reference Number:
    1stDibs: LU9387238631282
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