Description:

Fourteen Kesa Shell Money, Western Solomon Islands, 18th - 19th Century; "kesa" is a cylindrical shell wealth that came in different sizes and values. It is old, and is said to have been made by the spirit Pongo. People preserved kesa by wrapping them in ivory palm leaves and burying them in the ground, or by storing them in caves for safety from raids. They came in different denominations, from kalusape, the highest value, possessed by the chiefs.

Provenance: Tebbenham Collection; Tebbenham was on the Navy Ship the HSM Mohawk 1898 on a punitive expedition to the Western Solomon Islands due to head hunting raids on the neighbouring Islands.
Ex BL Hornshaw Collection (1878-1937); Hornshaw was an avid collector of Pacific and Australian Aboriginal artefacts, he received many of his pieces from people who lived and worked in the Pacific in the late 19th Century
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All lots must be paid for and collected by 4pm AEST Monday 8 November. Unfortunately we cannot arrange shipping from this location, however we can arrange the goods to be removed to our rooms at the buyers expense.

17 August 2015 18:00 AEST
Ashfield, Australia

Theodore Bruce Auctioneers & Valuers

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Bid Increments
From: To: Increments:
A$0 A$49 A$5
A$50 A$99 A$10
A$100 A$499 A$20
A$500 A$999 A$50
A$1,000 A$1,999 A$100
A$2,000 A$4,999 A$200
A$5,000 A$9,999 A$500
A$10,000 A$19,999 A$1,000
A$20,000 A$49,999 A$2,000
A$50,000 A$99,999 A$5,000
A$100,000 A$199,999 A$10,000
A$200,000 A$499,999 A$20,000
A$500,000 + A$50,000