Congolese Handa or Cross Currency

Slimmer and darker than a typical X, with one lonely dimple at the crossing.

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. Cross-shaped metal ingots were used as a form of currency in parts of Central Africa, including areas of what is now Katanga. Narrow cross with long arms ending in rounded, slightly bent paddles. The surface is a dark olive brown, smooth in some areas and faintly pitted in others, with a small round bump at the center. It is 7.25 inches wide and 7.25 deep.

Understated, a little moody, entirely symmetrical.