19th Century African Throwing Knife Currency — Marghi / Mofu, Northeastern Nigeria & Cameroon - Lot 899

Description

Before coinage became standardized across West and Central Africa, wealth was often held in iron. In parts of present-day northeastern Nigeria and northern Cameroon, highly forged throwing knives functioned not only as weapons, but as a recognized form of currency and ceremonial exchange among the Marghi, Mofu, and Kapsiki peoples. Iron objects such as these circulated as bridewealth, diplomatic gifts, and markers of status well into the late 19th and early 20th century, gradually disappearing from transactional use with colonial monetary systems and industrial metal production.

This example embodies that duality of function and symbolism. The sculptural crescent blade, paired with a secondary hooked projection, reflects a typology associated with prestige throwing knives of the Mandara Mountain region. The forged iron surface carries a rich, time-earned patina—deep umber with mineral warmth—revealing the hammer marks and subtle irregularities of hand production. The long, tapering shaft terminates in a faceted pommel, reinforcing both balance and visual rhythm.

Mounted on a custom black metal stand, the object is presented as it now lives: no longer currency, but artifact. Its silhouette reads as purely modern—almost abstract—bridging ethnographic history and contemporary sculpture. The balance between negative space and forged mass gives it an architectural presence that feels entirely at home in a curated interior.

As a decorative object, it transcends category: part weapon, part currency, part sculpture. A striking addition to a refined library, study, or modernist collection—where material history and form are equally valued.