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Spear money "Kundja" Basongo-Meno
| Issuer | Basongo-Meno people, Congo Basin |
|---|---|
| Year | |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | Log in to see details |
| Currency | Log in to see details |
| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Weight | Log in to see details |
| Diameter | Log in to see details |
| Thickness | Log in to see details |
| Shape | Log in to see details |
| Technique | Log in to see details |
| Orientation | Medal alignment ↑↑ |
| Engraver(s) | Log in to see details |
| In circulation to | Log in to see details |
| Reference(s) | Log in to see details |
| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Log in to see details |
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | Log in to see details |
| Reverse script | Log in to see details |
| Reverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Edge | Plain |
| Mint | Log in to see details |
| Mintage | ND |
| Additional information |
The Basongo-Meno occupied territory in the central Congo Basin where iron currency circulated as genuine transactional money rather than ceremonial prestige object — used in bride price negotiations, debt settlement, and regional trade. The kundja form, with its elongated blade and socketed shaft, reflects the dual function iron objects carried in this economy: their value was partly intrinsic to the metal itself, which could be reforged if necessary.
Unlike the more widely documented Congolese currency forms that attracted early colonial collection, Basongo-Meno pieces entered Western holdings in comparatively small numbers, and provenance documentation from the pre-independence period is thin.