Hoe coins. Mambila/Mfunte, Nigeria, Cameroon, late 19th century-early 20th century.

Set of three Hoe coins. Mambila/Mfunte, Nigeria, Cameroon, late 19th-early 20th century.
Wrought iron.
Measurements: 64,5 cm (height of one of them).

This iron coin, shaped like a stretched skin, circulated as a means of payment in northeastern Nigeria and northern Cameroon. It was also used for the payment of dowries in marriage contracts. Until the 1950s, it was still used for payments in local markets (Ballarini, The Perfect Form, 2009; Ginzberg, African Forms, 2000).

In the case of the African continent, the introduction of a numeral system for its currency did not occur until colonial times. Until that time, different cultures used objects of their daily life as monetary exchange, from salt to agricultural objects. In this case the coins presented are iron weapons.