Watch List notes:

GHANA:LOT of 4 Akan (Ashanti) goldweights, ring types, with dog or lion (3), and lizard (1), see Opitz page 375, retail value $150, lot of 4 weights. Akan goldweights (locally known as mrammou) are weights made of brass used as a measuring system by the Akan people of West Africa, particularly for weighing gold dust, which was currency until replaced by paper money and coins circa 1700-1900. Used to weigh gold and merchandise, at first glance the goldweights look like miniature models of everyday objects. Based on the Islamic weight system, each weight had a known measurement. This provided merchants with secure and fair-trade arrangements with one another. The status of a man increased significantly if he owned a complete set of weights. Complete small sets of weights were gifts to newly-wedded men. This insured that they would be able to enter the merchant trade respectably and successfully. Beyond their practical application, the weights are miniature representations of West African cultural items such as adinkra symbols, plants, animals and people.

Estimate: 75-125 USD