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BNPS.co.uk (01202 558833)<br />
Pic: ZacharyCulpin/BNPS<br />
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Money for old rope..<br />
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A remarkable ancient form of currency of a roll of bird feathers that was used by the natives of a South Pacific archipelago has been discovered.<br />
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The tevau feather-money consists of tens of thousands of red feathers taken from the honeyeater bird and stuck to strips of coiled bark.<br />
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The feathers were used in the 17th and 18th centuries by the people of the Santa Cruz Islands as a currency exchange for goods and services.<br />
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The more vibrant the red feathers were, the more valuable the currency was.<br />
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The tevau currency was phased out by coinage.<br />
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The coil that has now emerged for sale at Woolley & Wallis Auctioneers of Salisbury, Wilts, was bought by the vendor on his travels to the South Pacific in 1983. It is tipped to sell for £8,000.