Igbo Coiled Manilla Currency

Twenty-odd turns of copper, wound tight and gone green.

Igbo metalworkers of Central Nigeria, West Africa, made this coiled manilla in copper in the 20th century. Manillas are open bracelet-shaped forms that were used as currency in parts of West Africa and are also associated with ceremony and status. This one is a spiral of round copper wire, one end flattened into a small flare and the other finished with a stubbier terminal. The metal has weathered to a mottled verdigris with patches of reddish brown showing through between the coils.

About 14 inches long. A pocketful of old money that looks like sculpture on a console.