Akan gold weight, British West Africa, 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
label: associated place
content: British West Africa
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: Benjamin Stack, Harvey G. Stack, and Norman Stack
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: National Museum of American History
identifier: label: ID Number
content: NU.77.38.064
label: catalog number
content: 77.38.064
label: accession number
content: 1977.1211
objectType: label: Object Name
content: Figure
label: Object Name
content: alternative currency
physicalDescription: label: Physical Description
content: bronze/gray (overall color)
label: Physical Description
content: blue corrosion (overall color)
label: Physical Description
content: cast (overall production method/technique)
label: Physical Description
content: bronze (overall material)
label: Measurements
content: overall: 4.53 cm x 3.84 cm x 2.1 cm; 1 25/32 in x 1 1/2 in x 13/16 in