It'simpossible to estimate how many akua'mma were cut in the past, but it is suspected that at least one in three to four Asante women owned an akua'ba at some point in her life until the mid-20th century. They were used in all Asante areas and by all walks of life. When an akua'ba had fulfilled its function it was usually kept in the home. It could also be passed on as a 'toy' to a child. Sometimes the akua'ba was so worn by intensive use that it had to be considered lost. It also ended up in the hands of local merchants.
During the years 1920-1930, partly due to secularization and colonial presence, the use and thus manufacture of akua'mma for personal use shifted to exclusively carving for sale. In 1924, for example, R.S. Rattray had a number of new akua'mma made especially for the British Empire Exhibition in London by a group of woodcarvers from Kumasi. Soon other carvers also began to work in this style and a market developed specifically for the European consumer. From the late 1960s till the early 1970s, numbers of the quanity of akua'mma available through merchants in Kumase are known. These numbers indicate an overwhelming supply; in 1967, a merchant collected 2.500 pieces in six months time, in 1968 7.000 pieces were bought from just one merchant and in 1972, 200 pieces where collected within one month. Such sizeable numbers cannot possibly consist solely of pieces that were relinquished.
Akua'ba can be found in various museums around the world: