A Ngbaka Iron Currency, "mbili"

Pre-coinage currency, "mbili Ngbaka, Mbanza, Lobala, Bangala, DR Congo Ohne Sockel / without base Iron. L 42,5 cm. Provenance: Helmut (1931-2021) and Marianne Zimmer, Zurich. Due to the value of the processed raw materials, so-called primitive money was also a store of value, and were also used as a means of exchange and payment. These pre-coinage means of payment in standardized forms were traded over long distances. The use of imported copper alloy manillas as items of exchange dates back in Africa to at least the 16th century, when the Portuguese established trading posts in West Africa. Over time, these imported goods were repeatedly melted down and cast or forged into new shapes, and other materials, such as iron, were increasingly traded in the same way. At the beginning of the 20th century, most colonial powers banned these forms of money as a means of payment in order to establish their own currencies. Further reading: Victor, Robert (1986). Monnaies Premières. Wormhout: Robert Victor. CHF 100 / 200 EUR 100 / 200