Indonesia Java Ancient Primitive Iron Ingot Money?

A. G. Maisey · 4th April 2011, 12:08 AM

Lew, I have no idea how old , nor how culturally significant these things are.

I used to buy them from street sellers who had their little stalls on the sidewalk running down into the alun-alun utara in Solo --- line of sellers squatting on the ground with a cloth or a woven grass mat spread in front of them with various little curiosities on the mat , stuff like boars tusks, marbles, super cheapy rings,dried monkey penises, agates, little fossils --- that sort of stuff. Probably the main reason I bought anything at all from these sellers was to hone my bargaining skills before I went to the proper markets and started to spend real money. I haven't bought this sort of stuff for probably 30 years or more, but equally I haven't seen these little iron balls for that long also, however, if I went looking they could well still be available. I just don't know.

None of the people I know in Solo who saw them knew what they were, but all these people in Solo would have been family members, not people who are into the weird and esoteric.

Sorry I cannot be of more assistance.

Thread Tools	Search this Thread
Show Printable Version Email this Page	Search this Thread: Advanced Search
Display Modes
Switch to Linear Mode Switch to Hybrid Mode Threaded Mode

4th April 2011, 12:08 AM	#7
A. G. Maisey Member Join Date: May 2006 Posts: 6,994	Lew, I have no idea how old , nor how culturally significant these things are. I used to buy them from street sellers who had their little stalls on the sidewalk running down into the alun-alun utara in Solo --- line of sellers squatting on the ground with a cloth or a woven grass mat spread in front of them with various little curiosities on the mat , stuff like boars tusks, marbles, super cheapy rings,dried monkey penises, agates, little fossils --- that sort of stuff. Probably the main reason I bought anything at all from these sellers was to hone my bargaining skills before I went to the proper markets and started to spend real money. I haven't bought this sort of stuff for probably 30 years or more, but equally I haven't seen these little iron balls for that long also, however, if I went looking they could well still be available. I just don't know. None of the people I know in Solo who saw them knew what they were, but all these people in Solo would have been family members, not people who are into the weird and esoteric. Sorry I cannot be of more assistance.