Akan Gold Weight
date: label: date made
content: n.d.
notes: label: Description
content: These brass weights were used by the Akan people of modern day Ghana and the Ivory Coast for measuring gold dust between the late thirteenth and early twentieth centuries. They were cast into geometric shapes and figures of animals and people. These weights set a standard for measuring gold dust and made it easier to use gold dust as currency. The weights’ varied forms reflect Akan culture as well as cultural interaction between West African, North African, and European traders over five centuries.
label: Location
content: Currently not on view
place: label: place used
content: Ghana
setName: label: See more items in
content: Work and Industry: National Numismatic Collection
label: See more items in
content: West African Currency
creditLine: label: Credit Line
content: Marjorie A. Cope
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: National Museum of American History
identifier: label: ID Number
content: 1987.0723.11
label: catalog number
content: 1987.0723.11
label: accession number
content: 1987.0723
objectType: label: Object Name
content: Gold Weight Crocodile
label: Object Name
content: alternative currency
label: Other Terms
content: Gold Weight Crocodile; Africa; Western, Ashanti
physicalDescription: label: Physical Description
content: brass alloy (overall material)
label: Physical Description
content: gold/brown (overall color)
label: Physical Description
content: cast (overall production method/technique)
label: Measurements
content: overall: 4.66 cm x 1.34 cm x .78 cm; 1 27/32 in x 17/32 in x 5/16 in