Double T shaped currency, D.R.C. and Zambia
Copper (originating from the Lubumbashi copper belt area, D.R.C.)
35" (88.9 cm) long x 15" (38.1 cm) wide (widest point), center section bar is 3" (7.62 cm) wide
73 pounds (33 kg)
from the Alan Helms collection, Boston, MA
ex private NYC collection
This large and heavy copper bar is an extremely rare example of African currency, very few examples exist in
private or museum collections. Two sections have been broken off, one at either end.
"Copper bars weighing some 30 to 50 kilos were cast, it is believed, from the 18th century to the time of
Livingstone. The straight bars with triangular cross section and T-shaped ends are very rare and were found in
Zambia. They are believed to have been made in the 18th century. The bars were important in long-distance
trade as far away as India. It is believed the double T-shaped bars were produced from the beginning of the 19th
century to 1903. They are also very rare. They are called coppers with ears."
From "An Ethnographic Study of Traditional Money" by Charles J. Opitz.
See page 126 for an example of a double T-shaped currency.
$5000
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