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BNPS.co.uk (01202 558833)
Pic: ZacharyCulpin/BNPS
Money for old rope..
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.
The tevau feather-money consists of tens of thousands of red feathers taken from the honeyeater bird and stuck to strips of coiled bark.
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.
The more vibrant the red feathers were, the more valuable the currency was.
The tevau currency was phased out by coinage.
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.
Pic: ZacharyCulpin/BNPS
Money for old rope..
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.
The tevau feather-money consists of tens of thousands of red feathers taken from the honeyeater bird and stuck to strips of coiled bark.
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.
The more vibrant the red feathers were, the more valuable the currency was.
The tevau currency was phased out by coinage.
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.
ZacharyCulpin/BNPS 20 Sep 2023 5568x3712 / 2.1MB