Manillas, ring bars and ornamental rings were objects of value from the Gulf of Guinea deep into the African hinterland. Manillas were semicircular, round ingots with knobby ends. They served exclusively as means of payment; their form made it impossible to use them as jewelry. Ring bars and ornamental rings, on the other hand, were primarily ornamental objects. The ornamental rings were still wearable; they worked well as gifts and objects of exchange. The ring bars however were nut wearable any more, be it because of their form, their weight or their small inner diameter. But they served as money, either because of the value of their raw material or because of general agreement.