The Vancouver Numismatic Society
West African Manillas by Peter N. Moogk
Those who were present when Julian Ticehurst gave his illustrated presentation on odd and curious currency in May of this year will remember seeing horseshoe-shaped bracelets called Manillas. The name comes from the Spanish and Portuguese word for a bracelet. This odd form of currency originated in Calabar, Nigeria, in the late 1400s. It then spread throughout West Africa. The illustration shows a Nigerian-made manilla, cast in bronze. It is extremely heavy. Light-weight ones were called Popos, but there was a variety of names for manillas in the different African languages. The British, French, and Dutch who traded with West Africa realized that they could make manillas cheaply and use them to buy slaves. In 1505 a male slave could be bought with eight to ten manillas. By adding lead and zinc, the bronze could be given a golden tone. These foreign-made manillas were a simple U shape with oval, trumpet-like ends. African-made manillas, like this one, are patterned and have more complex ends. Sometimes they were made with twisted wire. Manillas could be worn on the wrists as a sign of wealth. Their career as money ended in the 1940s. Old manillas are still being sold as ornamental bangles or bracelets. They have made the transition from money to just jewellery.