Primitive money "Kissy-Penny" · Sierra Leone, Kissi · ID: 3035789
Zemanek-Münster, Würzburg, 11. September 2004, lot 795 (?)
Heinz Kolerski, Fellbach, Germany
Description
iron, 44 pieces, typical form, traces of corrosion;
they were used by four African tribes: Kissi, Loma, Kpelle and Bande. They were first used in 1900, and until the 1920s they were the only money in the area. In 1918, 30 or 40 bundles of 20 pieces each would by a cow, and 60 or 80 bundles would buy a wife. As late as 1915, 100 or 200 bundles would buy a slave.
The object Primitive money “Kissy-Penny” with the object ID 3035789 was last part of the auction 75th tribal art auction at November 30, 2013 on Zemanek-Münster Auction house. The object with the lot number 57 achieved a sales price of EUR 60.
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Comparing literature
Opitz, Charles J., An Ethnographic Study of Traditional Money, Ocala, Florida 2000, p. 179 f.