Iron blade, Congo, 19th century
date: label: date made
content: 19th century
notes: label: Description
content: Many communities have designed money in the shape of objects that are important to them, such as tools and weapons. They usually do not make them sharp, though. They were only supposed to be used to make payments.
label: Description
content: This tall blade was used by a Turumbu (too-ROOM-boo) community of the Democratic Republic of the Congo for wedding gifts and to purchase important items, such as a canoe. It is 5 feet, 7 inches tall.
place: label: place made
content: Congo
setName: label: See more items in
content: Work and Industry: National Numismatic Collection
label: Exhibition
content: Really BIG Money
label: Exhibition Location
content: National Museum of American History
creditLine: label: Credit Line
content: Elvira Clain-Stefanelli
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: National Museum of American History
identifier: label: ID Number
content: 1992.0406.0001
label: catalog number
content: 1992.0406.0001
label: accession number
content: 1992.0406
label: catalog number
content: 92.406.01
objectType: label: Object Name
content: blade
label: Object Name
content: spearhead
physicalDescription: label: Physical Description
content: iron (overall material)
label: Measurements
content: average spatial: 67 in x 13 in x 2 cm; 170.18 cm x 33.02 cm x 25/32 in