Handle
West Africa · West Africa
Reference: MND-44
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- Material
- Brass
The handles, mainly of English manufacture, were introduced to millions in Africa, between the centuries XVI and XVIII to facilitate trade relations between Britain and what…
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Full original description
The handles, mainly of English manufacture, were introduced to millions in Africa, between the centuries XVI and XVIII to facilitate trade relations between Britain and what later were its colonies established along the Gulf of Guinea. Large quantities were also imported from France. Grand Bassam, in Ivory Coast, was one of the non-British localities to use this currency.
The handle was used in the purchase of local products but it was also an important currency of exchange in the purchase of slaves. In Grand Bassam (Côte d'Ivoire) they were in force until they were banned by the French colonizing authority in 1914, just as all local metal coins were banned. In the English colonies they were in force until the year 1948.
Handle rusted by the passage of time.
Further technical information
- Width
- 5 cm
- Attributed period
- Century XVI a XX
Details transcribed from the original catalogue; they are not a recent physical inspection.
Country on the map
West Africa. The country associated with the catalog is shown, not the current location of the piece.
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Attributions, dates and accounts come from the preserved catalogue. They do not constitute certification of authenticity or provenance. An object’s presence on this website does not mean it is available for sale.
