Igbo Copper Manilla Currency

Currency before coins: a heavy copper arc, and a green coat to match its age.

Igbo communities of central Nigeria, West Africa, used manillas like this one as currency in the 20th century. Open copper bracelets of this kind circulated across West Africa as a medium of exchange and as a marker of wealth. This example is a plain, smooth-sided horseshoe that tapers slightly toward flat, cut ends, with fine incised marks along the outer curve. Verdigris covers it in soft turquoise, over warm copper showing at the edges.

About 6 by 9 inches. Plain and unfussy, like most good money.