Spiral Prestige Currency – West Africa (likely Cameroon)

This metal coin, composed of four flat spirals arranged in symmetry connected by a central axis, belongs to the category of traditional prestige currencies. The small conical protrusions in the center of the discs reinforce its singularity and its symbolic value. Used in the regions of the Akan people, this type of currency was not used for everyday exchange, but intervened in key moments of life: dowry, alliances, ceremonies of passage or transmission of a reserve of wealth, and evokes both balance, the cycle of life, and sometimes concepts related to royalty or fertility.
Its elaborate form also makes it a ceremonial object, sometimes integrated into ritual adornments or kept as a status symbol. We can therefore say that this ornament is as much a jewel as a symbol of rank. At the border between art, economy and ritual, this elegant form testifies to a design where beauty and value go hand in hand.

Metal, traditional hammering.

Good condition