Odd & Curious Money

One of my favourite collections is my odd and curious money collection. I only started collecting them a few years ago, when a local collector showed me his O & C money collection. Since then, I've accumulated a number of interesting pieces from around the world, some of which are now for sale. (Sorry, my spear money collection isn't for sale, but if you have Yap stone money for sale, let me know). Please note: due to the weight and bulk of odd and curious money, these items will not be sent by registered mail.

Read the June 2001 review of
Charles Opitz's book on odd and curious money.

All Prices in Canadian Dollars

ODD & CURIOUS MONEY
STATUS	DESCRIPTION	MY PRICE	PHOTO
	Swedish Plate Money. 1716. Karl XII. Corner Stamps: Crowned doubled C superimposed on date. Center Stamp: Diamond reeded outlined around 1/2 daler S.M. From the wreck of the Nicobar, a cargo ship that sank in 1782. This is one of the few examples that did not have either corrosion from the sea salt, nor erosion from the shifting sand. 3 5/8" X 4 1/4". copper. near mint state.	$750
	Katanga Cross. Katanga Tribe. Africa. Copper. Made by pouring copper into sand molds. According to Opitz, 2 were worth a gun. One bride price consisted of 14 large crosses, 1 female goat, 1 gun and 1 female slave. approx. 7 - 7 1/2 inches.	$175
	Katanga Cross. as above but smaller 6 ½" X 6 1/2"	$150
	Katanga Cross. as above but much larger. 8 1/4" X 8 1/4"	$200
	Katanga Cross. Katanga Tribe. Africa. Copper. Made by pouring copper into sand molds. According to Opitz, 2 were worth a gun. One bride price consisted of 14 large crosses, 1 female goat, 1 gun and 1 female slave. Giant 11 1/2 inches.	$250
	H Cross. Zimbabwe. 13th - 17th Centuries. 1 1/2 inches. 15 grams.	$50
	H Cross. Zimbabwe. 13th - 17th Centuries. 1 1/2 inches. 17 grams.	$50
	Manilla Bracelets. The Manilla was the most widely dispersed African money type from the 15th Century until 1948, when it was taken out of circulation. According to Opitz, in 1505 one manilla would purchase a large elephant tusk. There are many types of Manillas. They were traded by the Portuguese, Dutch, French and British. I have several different types available for sale and will be buying more.
	French Popo Manilla. round end. brass.	$25
	British Okpoho Manilla. brass. more difficult to find.	$35
	British Medium Manilla. brass. the most common type.	$30
	British Atoni Manilla. brass. elephant foot profile.	$30
	Kissi Penny. Was used in Sierra Leone, Liberia and French Guinea. According to Opitz, it was a "coin with a soul" that if it was broken, needed a witch doctor to repair it and restore its soul. various sizes.
	Kissi Penny. approx. 10 inches long	$25
	Kissi Penny. approx. 12 inches long	$30
	Kissi Penny. approx. 14.5 inches long	$35
	Kissi Penny. approx. 15.5 inches long	$40
	Kissi Penny. approx. 18 inches long	$50
	Dubil (Nigerian Bar Money) - also called Duval or Li.. Squared iron bar introduced by Europeans in the 16th century. Originally used as tools, later as money. A male slave was worth 13 bars. also used as bride price.	$100
	Tajere (Nigerian Bar Money) - also called Losol, Sasoreng, Saka or Taje. Iron bar with rough diamond-shaped swelling at center and long, squared, textured ends. Made from local iron by the Batta and Mumuye.	$100
	Purr-Purr (Nigerian Bar Money) A flat iron length with textured surface bent at a 45 degree angle and crimped. It may imitate a thin hoe with the crimp as the socket for attaching a wooden shaft. Used as late as 1939.	$300
	Boloko. Zaire. U-shaped copper bar with round feet. Made by the Nkutshu smiths. They were the most important objects used in payment of the marriage dowry and also had conventional value: One boloko was equal to one ram, two would have bought a male slave, three a female slave, and ten would have been the cost of a free woman.	$175
	Congo Dowry Knife. Large 5" X 19" knife with wooden handle held together by copper wire. has a small part of wooden handle missing but still an attractive piece.	$200
	Senufo Boat Anklets. Burkina Faso. Well-made brass. Shaped like a high-prowed, broad, smooth canoe. Three different sizes. Worn by both men and women.
	Senufo Boat Anklet. small. 2 3/4" X 5"	$100
	Senufo Boat Anklet. medium 3 ½" X 6 1/4"	$125
	Senufo Boat Anklet. large 2 ½" X 7 1/4"	$150
	Magical Bracelets. Ivory Coast, Burkina Faso and Ghana. Similar to religious medals in Western cultures.
	Magical Bracelet. small python bracelet.	$75
	Magical Bracelet. circular python bracelet.	$90
	Magical Bracelet. bird bracelet.	$120
	Lat. (Boat Money) Laos. circa 1500-1900. rough copper bars in the shape of a boat. many various sizes.	$10
	Knife Money. China. 300 BC.	$60
	Wang Mang Spade Money. China. Huo-pu. 6-22 AD. value 25 cash. 58X23mm. This bronze revival spade gave this usurper's rule an appearance of antiquity.	$35
	Bamboo Money. China. Issued during coin shortages in Kiangsu and Chekiang provinces by small banks and merchants. I have three examples.	$10 each
	Bamboo Money. 200 Cash. 1895. Serial number in Chinese.	$40
	Bamboo Money. 200 Cash. 1928. Similar but with Western serial number and different edge inscription.	$40
	Bamboo Money. 1000 Cash. 1928. Similar to above but much larger.	$80
	Tea Brick Money. Beginning in the 19th century, tea was formed into bricks in China, Mongolia, Tibet, Burma and parts of Russia. They are still made today in China. Brick has gateway with 5 stars above, trees on either side and 14 Chinese characters below. The back is divided into 16 sections, to make change. Very attractive. Often a center piece for odd & curious money collections.	$70
	Axe Money. Oaxaca, Mexico. AD900-1521. Copper, beaten very thin. . Length: 6 1/2". Early colonial Spanish accounts describe the use of axe money in Oaxaca. According to Opitz, before the Conquest a single axe would purchase 80 slaves but later depreciated to 2.5 slaves per axe.	$40
	Axe Money. Ecuador. copper axe money. much harder to get than those from Mexico. listed by Opitz	$200
	Stamp Money. Russia. 1915-1917. Postage stamps used on par with silver coins. Issued in 1, 3, 10 and 20 kopek denominations. (3 Kopek for sale).	$5
	Snail Money. Central and Eastern Java, Indonesia. Cast copper or bronze ingot. an attractive piece. EF	$45
	Mussel Money. Central and Eastern Java, Indonesia. Cast copper or bronze ingot. an attractive pre-colonial piece. EF	$45
	Bullet Money. 19th Century round steel money in the shape of a bullet. 15mm diameter, cast on the Straits of Malacca and inscribed with Arabic legends using the lost wax method. nice.	$45
	Hexagonal Currency Bar. Java, Indonesia. 18mm hexagonal currency bar in bronze. Arabic script.	$35
	Seed Money. Central Java, Indonesia. 17th and 18th Centuries, small pre-coinage cast brass ingot. VF. scarce.	$35
	Sword Currency Bar. Java. Rectangular currency bar 23 X 16 mm currency ingot in bronze, with Arabic script, sword design and snake. VF. scarce.	$35
	Dagger Currency Bar. Java. Rectangular currency bar with Arabic script and dagger design. VF. scarce.	$35
	Medium Currency Bar. Java. 22 X 8 X 4 mm bronze currency bar. medieval period, pre-VOC. Excavated in Solo. scarce.	$35