For centuries in Africa, before the advent of European colonizers, gold was the preferred unit of exchange in West Africa. Everyone who had any reason to do commerce had gold weights whose weight they could rely on. The last time any of those weights and that system was used was at least 100 years ago so this object is at least that old. Those weights took many forms, including figurative ones like this one. This is a combination of the flowers of the oil palm, a popular symbol of wealth, and a herald's gong. This undoubtedly is a reference to an Akan proverb but we are unsure of which one.

2 1/2 x 15/16 x 5/8" (6 x 2.4 x 1.6 cm)