Lobi Bronze Bracelet Currency

Slim, flat-faced open ring with diagonal hatching along its length.

This bracelet currency is Lobi, from Burkina Faso, West Africa, and dates to the 20th century. It is bronze. Bronze is an alloy of copper and tin, and metal objects of this kind were usually cast, then finished by hammering or filing. At first glance, a modest, wide-set band with a gently flattened outer face covered in tight diagonal lines. A narrow rib runs along the top edge. The ends are flat, a little thickened and unadorned. The surface is an even, warm olive-brown. It is 3 inches wide, 0.5 deep and 2.75 high.

Plain, wide, and quietly crosshatched.