Okpoho Manilla

Okpoho Manilla – The principal form of currency used during the slave trade in Africa. The Portuguese, Dutch, British, and French, all of whom had labor-intensive plantations in the West Indies, were all participating in the slave trade. They were later joined in the slave trade by the Americans, whose southern states were tied to the cotton economy. A typical voyage to West Africa took manillas and utilitarian brass objects such as pans and basins, then slaves to America, and then returned to Europe loaded with cotton for the mills. The price of a slave, expressed in manillas, varied accordingly to time, place, and specific type of manilla offered.

The Okpoho Manilla owned was reportedly made in Birmingham, England between the 1600’s and 1800’s. No certificate of authenticity was provided, but it was acquired from a reputable seller.