Ashanti Ghana Hand Held Balance Gold Scales c.1880

A hard to find set of African gold scales from the Ashanti goldfields. Bronze beam with hand beaten brass pans, deteriorated rigging which is easily replaced. These items were made in two different sizes the larger, known as akontuma, were used to weigh big amounts and the smaller scales, known as mframa nsenia (literally ‘wind scales’), were so light and delicate that a breath of wind could cause them to fluctuate. Please view images as all images are of the actual item.