Your general thoughts on the authenticity of proto-money.

I'm wondering what you all think of stuff like this...

https://www.vcoins.com/en/Search.as...ype=0&searchMaxRecords=100&SearchOnSale=False

It seems like it would be an easy matter to machine a few of these objects and sell them for huge profits as proto-money.

 

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I agree JA. I wouldn't venture into buying these without knowing a lot more than I do now. To me they look like metal rings without any way of knowing more about them.

 

I would have to do my research on these and find a trustworthy dealer of these before I'd buy one. For those in the link, IMO there is no way to tell their authenticity just by looks.

 

Feelings on Proto-Money

First and foremost there is a special place in my heart for proto money. I have a cowrie shell imitation from China.:hail:

I was told sometime ago buy an expert in Eastern coins that, about 80% of all Chinese Cash coins and Bronze Proto money was not fake but- well remanufactured over the last 150 yrs. I was told that there was many cash coins found in bronze pots, the coins were common and the pots were vary rare so people would take coins and melt them into pots. At one point the coins became rare and those pots were melted back into coins, and that this happened well into the post war years. He said it was nearly impossible to be able to tell the authentic original pots and cash coins from those that have been remanufactured becuase the process to do so was kept very similar. I was also told this was true for wide variety of bronze cast currency and proto-money. As far as I am concerned in the end for the price that they sell at I wouldn't mind having one of each.

 

Yes, but you see...I'd like an example that was used by one of the Argonauts.

 

There ARE certain forms of proto-money well documented and accepted, and then a whole bunch else that are just old metal things. Some of those arrowheads are documented as early money in Olbia, in China we do know knives and spades were early money, and most likely cowrie imitations, etc. Get Quiggins as its one of the best documentary evidence of what is proto-money and what isn't. Africa is a real mess, with a very very fine line between what was probably proto-money and what was just something bronze someone might have traded.

So, to me, there ARE forms of proto-money, and I also love them JA, but you do have to be knowledgable and know what you are doing. Sellers will sell just about anything old and bronze as proto-money it seems.

 

Proto Money: Manillas

So where do Manillas or West African Slave Money feature in all this......just bought two





Triple cast 7.5cm 400g

14.5cm 550g described for leg