A 19th century bronze manilla, or African slave currency token from the shipwreck English schooner 'Duoro' sunk off the Isles of Scilly in 1843. Accompanied by a copy of a certificate of authenticity from the Isles of Scilly Underwater Centre.
 
Very fine condition
Width 5.7 cms (2.24 ins)
 
Provenance: Ian Wilkinson collection, Nottinghamshire, UK, formed since 1985.
 
The trade in slaves had been going on for many years and brought great wealth, especially to England. The local chiefs traded their human cargo for many different commodities, and manilla was one of them. They were manufactured in Birmingham between 1830-1850, shipped out to Benin on the Slave Coast of Africa, and bartered for one slave each manilla. These unfortunates were then packed into the holds of ships, and taken to the West Indies, usually making vast profits, if the slaves did not die on the journey.