ODD & CURIOUS MONEY
THE
COIN WITH A SOUL!
The "Kissie Penny" or "Gizzie Iron" are twisted iron rods, about 10
inches (18 to 24cm) long, that were used for money in Liberia
and Sierra Leone from the 19
th to the mid 20
th
century. They were said to contain a soul. If the Kissie were broken,
the soul would escape and it would be valueless. Of course, the local
"witch doctor" could restore the soul, for a small fee. A
bunch of bananas might cost 2 Kissies, a cow 2000 Kissies, or a bride
4000 Kissies.
Item
KISSIE WEST AFRICAN KISSIE PENNY $7.00
Item
KISSIEx5 5 PIECES OF WEST AFRICAN KISSIE
PENNY $20.00
AFRICAN
SLAVE
BRACELET MONEY
Reduced size image
The Manilla, also called "slave bracelet money" was used extensively on
the "slave coast" of west Africa. It comes in various sizes
and forms,
though it was usually made from a copper and lead alloy. The value
fluctuated from time to time and place to place. Manillas were often
manufactured in Europe for use in the African slave trade. In the 15
th
and 16
th century male slaves went for 2 to 10
Manillas each. By the time the Manilla was demonetized in Nigeria in
1947 it was worth only 3 pence. This Manilla is
about 2.25 to 2.5 inches (6 cm.) across and was used from the
18
th
to the mid 20
th Centuries.
Item
MANILLA WEST AFRICAN MANILLA
$15.00
Item
MANILLAx5 5 of the above WEST AFRICAN
MANILLAS
$49.50
AFRICAN
TRADE BEADS
Copper
Munshi style trade beads, about 12mm, a with a looped brass ring with
an imitation seed. They were used in northern Nigeria where they were
valued at 1/4 of a north African silver Dirhem.
Item
BEADM AFRICAN COPPER TRADE BEAD
$4.00
Item
BEADMx3 3 AFRICAN COPPER TRADE BEADS
$10.00
BEAUTIFUL
CHINESE
MOTHER OF PEARL GAMBLING TOKENS
These
beautiful, hand carved mother-of-pearl gambling tokens were made in
China from about 1720 until about 1840 and used in Europe and America
gaming counters and gambling chips. They come in a wide variety of
shapes (round, rectangular, oval, even fish shaped) and sizes and are
etched with intricate patterns and motifs. Most are about 28mm to
55mm.
Item CN-MOPx1 1 CHINESE MOTHER OF PEARL
GAMBLING TOKEN
$25.00
CHINESE
BAMBOO MONEY
This unusual bamboo money was issued by the Guang Shan Private Bank, in
Suzhou China. It is denominated 1000 Wen and dated 1928 in the Chinese
cyclical calendar. One side has the value impressed into the
bamboo. The other side has the serial number and the name of
the bank. Each piece bears a unique serial number and is made
with a hole to make it easy to carry on string. To make sure
someone could find the bank, complete directions (inside the Chang
gate, east of the Li Sui Shi bridge, Sha Tang Blvd) are given along the
edge (in Chinese, of course). It is about 129 x 15mm. These were
discovered in the late 1990's, hidden inside a wall of a building that
was being demolished in Suzhou.
Item
CN-BAMB1000CHINA 1000 WEN BAMBOO MONEY 1928
F-VF$39.00
DANISH
WORLD WAR II ERA
ENCASED POSTAGE STAMP MONEY
These
encased postage stamps were issued in Denmark to help ease a coin
shortage
caused by World War II. A regular postage stamp was attached
to a
small cardboard holder and wrapped in cellophane or a similar
product.
Advertising was printed on the back of the holder to defray the cost of
the packaging. We have the 1 Ore encased postage stamps, with a wide
range
of advertising on the back. These are an unusual and rarely
seen
World War II monetary item. Because these come with many different
reverses,
the one you get may not be just like the one in the picture.
Item
DEN-STMP
DENMARK WWII ERA ENCASED POSTAGE STAMP $5.00
ANCIENT OLBIA
DOLPHIN COIN
Olbia
was a Greek city on the Black
Sea in what is now Ukraine. Between the 5th and 3rd century
BC it issued these unusual bronze dolphin shaped coins. Dolphins were
common in the region and were considered sacred. The crudely
cast coins vary in size, from about 18mm to 26mm and lack
tails. This coin was minted without inscriptions. They are
one of the most unusual ancient coins
available, yet are remarkably affordable.
Item
OBLIA
OLBIA "DOLPHIN" COIN, circa 5th-3rd
Century BC, crude $25.00
SIAMESE
PORCELAIN MONEY
These porcelain gaming tokens, called
Pees, were issued by Chinese owned gambling houses in Siam during the
18th and 19th centuries. There circulated as money due to a shortage of
small change. After a period of time the gambling houses would recall
the tokens and they would be declared valueless, resulting in a
substantial profit to the issuer.
Item
TH-PORC 1 SIAM PORCELAIN MONEY VF
$9.00
Item
TH-PORCx5 5 DIFFERENT SIAM PORCELAIN
MONEY $42.00
Item
TH-PORCx25 25 MIXED SIAM PORCELAIN
MONEY $195.00
Item
TH-PORCx100 100 MIXED SIAM PORCELAIN
MONEY $695.00
AFRICAN
COINS
FEATURE TRADITIONAL AFRICAN MONEY 
Six member nations of the African Development Bank issued a
series of coins, each of which features a form of traditional money
used
in the member nation. Each coin bears the denomination of
1500
CFA Francs. The coins are 27mm nickel-plated steel and are dated
2005. One side features an
Elephant’s head and a map of Africa while the other features a form of
traditional
money. The Cameroon issue features a Mambila. Three pieces of
Spear
Money is shown on the coin of the Central African Republic. A
Manilla
is shown on the Chad issue. A Katanga Cross is on the coin
from
the
Congo Republic. A pair of Cowrie shells is on the Equatorial
Guinea
coin. The Gabon coin shows a piece of Throwing Knife
Money. Each coin has a mintage of only 2005 pieces!
Individually
they are interesting coins. As a
set they display the
wide range of items used for money in Africa prior to the introduction
of
coins and currency.
Item
CM-PRIM CAMEROON 1500 FRANCS 2005 Mambila
Br.X26 Unc. $9.50
Item
CF-PRIM CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC 1500 Francs
2005 Spear Money Br.X12
Unc. $9.50
Item
TD-PRIM CHAD 1500 Francs 2005
Manilla Br.X19
Unc.$17.50
Item
CG-PRIM CONGO REPUBLIC 1500 Francs 2005
Katanga Cross Br.X46 Unc.
$9.50
Item
GQ-PRIM EQUATORIAL GUINEA 1500 Francs 2005
Cowries Br.X124 Unc.
$9.50
Item
GA-PRIM GABON 1500 Francs 2005 Throwing knife
Money Br.X16
Unc. $9.50
Item
AFRICA-PRIM SET OF ABOVE 6 AFRICAN COINS
PICTURING PRIMITIVE MONEY Unc.
$59.00
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Copper
Munshi style trade beads, about 12mm, a with a looped brass ring with
an imitation seed. They were used in northern Nigeria where they were
valued at 1/4 of a north African silver Dirhem. 
These
beautiful, hand carved mother-of-pearl gambling tokens were made in
China from about 1720 until about 1840 and used in Europe and America
gaming counters and gambling chips. They come in a wide variety of
shapes (round, rectangular, oval, even fish shaped) and sizes and are
etched with intricate patterns and motifs. Most are about 28mm to
55mm. 
These
encased postage stamps were issued in Denmark to help ease a coin
shortage
caused by World War II. A regular postage stamp was attached
to a
small cardboard holder and wrapped in cellophane or a similar
product.
Advertising was printed on the back of the holder to defray the cost of
the packaging. We have the 1 Ore encased postage stamps, with a wide
range
of advertising on the back. These are an unusual and rarely
seen
World War II monetary item. Because these come with many different
reverses,
the one you get may not be just like the one in the picture.
Olbia
was a Greek city on the Black
Sea in what is now Ukraine. Between the 5th and 3rd century
BC it issued these unusual bronze dolphin shaped coins. Dolphins were
common in the region and were considered sacred. The crudely
cast coins vary in size, from about 18mm to 26mm and lack
tails. This coin was minted without inscriptions. They are
one of the most unusual ancient coins
available, yet are remarkably affordable. 
These porcelain gaming tokens, called
Pees, were issued by Chinese owned gambling houses in Siam during the
18th and 19th centuries. There circulated as money due to a shortage of
small change. After a period of time the gambling houses would recall
the tokens and they would be declared valueless, resulting in a
substantial profit to the issuer. 
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