Hoe from Liberia

An iron hoe from Liberia. The hoe has a short, carved, wooden handle. The top portion of the handle is stained black. The bottom of the handle tapers slightly outwards. The iron blade is lanceolate shaped with the long edges of the blade curved inwards towards the handle. The blade comes to a slight point at the cutting edge. The blade projects from the handle at a forty-five (45) degree angle. The tang of the blade is threaded through the body of the handle and bent downwards against the back of the handle. White hand painted text on the exposed portion of the tang reads [R502].