Congolese Handa or Cross Currency

Flat X with rounded ends, hammered rather than hurried.

This Handa or cross currency from the Kasai region is from Kasai, Katanga, Kasai River, Democratic Republic of Congo, Central Africa, and dates to the early 20th century. It is metal. Metal currencies of this kind were cast or forged in forms that differ by region, which makes their shape a useful clue to where they circulated. Cross-shaped flat piece whose four arms widen toward blunt, rounded ends, meeting at a narrow center. The surface is pitted and mottled in reddish brown with pink flushes, and the center has a small raised ridge. It is 7.25 inches wide and 7.5 deep.

Geometry made by hand, with fingerprints of the fire.