Twenty antique geometric gold weights

TWENTY ANTIQUE GEOMETRIC GOLD WEIGHTS. Original, unique, special, antique, good patina, detailed. AKAN ASHANTI ASANTE bronze geometric gold weights, well used tribally. From Ghana, Gold Coast, Ivory Coast, West Africa. Total weight is 290 grams. The first, top five weights, see first photos, weigh: 71.2 grams, a KING WEIGHT, Ram's horn design, silver-colored bronze, 67.6 grams, also a KING WEIGHT, a Ram's horn design, bright yellow bronze color, 28.3 grams, pyramid with three steps, 15.3 grams, swastika, or sun symbol, rare variation with many lines, 14.7 grams, with a lot of lead addition, the definitive evidence of tribal use, further in this lot also a five-pointed star, an eight-armed star, a four-armed star, two pyramids, and a rare weight with four squares connected to each other. Some weights have symbolic meaning. See last photos with sheet explaining notes. Made with the lost-wax method, cire perdue, lost wax method. Sometimes with visible remnants of the casting channel. Different colors of African bronze. Wear and signs of use consistent with tribal use when weighing gold and gold dust, and in trade. With lead ballast, and weight reduction. Evidence that these weights were tribally well used in trade. See photos, which are part of the description. As counterweight for small scales or balances. Weights from the 18th and 19th centuries, thus well before 1900, when the use of gold weights as currency and means of payment was banned and replaced by coinage. Not tourist stuff from the 20th century. For size assessment: compare with the coins. Carefully packed, and insured shipping with track and trace code via PostNL. Can also be picked up in Leiden, the Netherlands.

Estimate:£125.59

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