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Akan Gold Weights

Akan goldweights, or mrammou, are weights made of brass. They were 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. At first glance the goldweights look like miniature models of everyday objects, but were an extremely accurate measuring system, based on the Islamic weight system. This provided merchants with a secure and fair trade arrangement when doing business.