Two Ngelima Copper Currency Spirals on Custom Stand

Central Africa, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ngelima. Two hand-forged copper currency spirals, each made from a single heavy rod that winds upward and ends in a faceted, cone-shaped knob. The pair differs nicely in form. The taller spiral rises in wide, loose curves that move like a snake. The shorter one coils tightly, almost like a spring, before turning back on itself at the top. The surfaces differ too: one has a warm reddish-brown patina, while the other has turned muted grey-green with weathered patches. Both are fitted to a shared circular metal display stand. Spirals like these were most likely kept as stores of wealth and used in large social payments such as bridewealth rather than in everyday trade. The forged knob tips may have been meant to make the shapes hard to copy. Across much of Central Africa, copper was a prestige metal long before colonial coinage arrived. It moved along trade routes as standardized ingots, bars, and coils, and was valued for its rarity and red sheen. In the Uele region of the northern Congo basin, large forged spirals of this type are usually attributed to the Ngelima people. They are generally described as currency used in marriage payments and other high-value exchanges. Their size and weight showed wealth at a glance, while the metal itself could still be reworked into ornaments or tools. Item # 203731

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