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The Niger Bend

A Selection of Our Best Items

Goldweights, spoons, scales

Gold was for a long time the primary unit of exchange in Africa. Virtually everyone who had business dealings using gold had their own complete set of weights to verify to their own satisfaction the weight of the gold dust most commonly used. Of course, gold was not sufficiently divisible to be used for the smallest, most common purchases so other items were used for those, like cowrie shells. Gold dust was manipulated with spoons and weighed using scales. The weights, the spoons and the scales were almost exclusively made of brass.

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$125.00

Cross design gold weight
photo of Cross design gold weight item #854
Ivory Coast - Baule

1 5/16 x 15/16" (3.3 x 2.3 cm)
more . . .

$125.00

Disk top pyramid gold weight
photo of Disk top pyramid gold weight item #848
Ivory Coast - Baule

5/8 x 5/8 x 1 5/16" tall (1.5 x 1.5 x 3.2 cm tall)
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$125.00

Disk top pyramid gold weight
photo of Disk top pyramid gold weight item #849
Ivory Coast - Baule

13/16 x 14/16 x 1 3/16" tall (2.1 x 2.2 x 2.9 cm tall)
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$125.00

Disk top pyramid gold weight
photo of Disk top pyramid gold weight item #850
Ivory Coast - Baule

15/16 x 15/16 x 1 3/8" tall (2.3 x 2.4 x 3.3 cm tall)
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$150.00

Double gong design goldweight
photo of Double gong design goldweight item #864
Ivory Coast - Baule

2" (5.2 cm)
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$950.00

Exceptional elephant tail motif goldweight
photo of Exceptional elephant tail motif goldweight item #832
Ivory Coast - Baule

3 13/16 x 1 5/16" (9.5 x 3.3 cm)
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$125.00

Fan design goldweight
photo of Fan design goldweight item #858
Ivory Coast - Baule

2 1/16 x 1 1/8" (5.2 x 2.8 cm)
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$150.00

Fan design goldweight
photo of Fan design goldweight item #859
Ivory Coast - Baule

1 7/8 x 1 3/16" (4.8 x 3.7 cm)
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$50.00

Geometric goldweight
photo of Geometric goldweight item #833
Ivory Coast - Baule

1 3/16 x 13/16" (3 x 2 cm)
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$50.00

Geometric goldweight
photo of Geometric goldweight item #837
Ivory Coast - Baule

15/16 x 14/16" (2.3 x 2 cm)
more . . .

$75.00

Geometric goldweight
photo of Geometric goldweight item #839
Ivory Coast - Baule

1 1/4 x 3/4" (3.1 x 1.8 cm)
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$50.00

Geometric goldweight
photo of Geometric goldweight item #840
Ivory Coast - Baule

1 1/8 x 1 3/16" (3 x 2.7 cm)
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$50.00

Goldweight
photo of Goldweight item #855
Ivory Coast - Baule

11/16 x 12/16" (1.7 x 1.7 cm)
more . . .

$25.00

Goldweights - fifth set of photos
photo of Goldweights - fifth set of photos item #509
Ghana - Ashanti

Please click on the image to view two more sets of goldweights, at the same price, $25 each.
more . . .

$50.00

Goldweights - fourth set of photos
photo of Goldweights - fourth set of photos item #508
Ghana - Ashanti

Please click on the image to view two more groups of goldweights. The weights in the second set are $25 each. Those in the third set are $50 each.
more . . .

$95.00

Large gold dust spoons
photo of Large gold dust spoons item #440
Ghana - Ashanti

Please click on the photo to view another set of large gold dust spoons in another style.
more . . .

$125.00

Loop top pyramid gold weight
photo of Loop top pyramid gold weight item #846
Ivory Coast - Baule

7/8 x 7/8 x 1 5/16" tall (2.1 x 2.2 x 3.2 cm tall)
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$50.00

Old brass gold dust spoons
photo of Old brass gold dust spoons item #439
Ghana - Ashanti

These are all old brass spoons which were used for manipulating gold dust in commercial transactions. Please click on this photo to see another set of old brass spoons. Most of the spoons are $50. The exceptions are as follows: the one in the lower left of this photo is $95. The one just above that one is $30. The smallest one in the top of the same photo is $25. In the second photo the smallest spoon in the top right of that photo is $30.
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$50.00

Old goldweights - all types
photo of Old goldweights - all types item #109
Ivory Coast - Baule

Geometric were used for centuries to weigh gold and are all at least 100 years old since the practice of using gold as a common unit of exchange ended about 100 years ago. Please click on the image to view two more photos and two more types of old goldweights. The second photo shows a group of assorted goldweights, all $25 each. These are more ordinary in shape but have specific weights and were as useful as the more intricate weights. The third photo shows two shield figurative goldweights, both priced at $175 each.
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$75.00

Pyramid gold weight
photo of Pyramid gold weight item #845
Ivory Coast - Baule

1 1/16 x 1 x 3/4" tall (2.6 x 2.6 x 1.8 cm tall)
more . . .

$75.00

Second group of geometric goldweights
photo of Second group of geometric goldweights item #506
Ghana - Ashanti

Please click on the image to see two more sets of goldweights. All of the goldweights in the second and third sets are priced at $50 each.
more . . .

$95.00

Square tower pyramid gold weight
photo of Square tower pyramid gold weight item #851
Ivory Coast - Baule

1/2 x 1/2 x 3/4" tall (1.2 x 1.3 x 2 cm tall)
more . . .

$150.00

Sun design round goldweight
photo of Sun design round goldweight item #860
Ivory Coast - Baule

1 1/8" diameter (2.8 cm)
more . . .

$25.00

Tiny triangle goldweight
photo of Tiny triangle goldweight item #861
Ivory Coast - Baule

9/16 x 11/16" (1.4 x 1.6 cm)
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$50.00

Triangle geometric goldweight
photo of Triangle geometric goldweight item #838
Ivory Coast - Baule

1 5/16 x 1 1/8" (3.4 x 2.8 cm)
more . . .

$125.00

Triangle geometric goldweight
photo of Triangle geometric goldweight item #853
Ivory Coast - Baule

3/4 x 2 1/8" (1.8 x 5.3 cm)
more . . .

$125.00

Triangle pendant goldweight
photo of Triangle pendant goldweight item #862
Ivory Coast - Baule

7/8 x 2 1/8" (2 x 5.2 cm)
more . . .

$45.00

Very tiny stool gold weight
photo of Very tiny stool gold weight item #852
Ivory Coast - Baule

3/8 x 1/2 x 3/8" tall (.9 x 1.2 x .9 cm tall)
more . . .

 
 
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