Kissi Iron Penny Currency

Nine inches of twisted iron. In Sierra Leone, it was once small change, and sometimes not so small.

The Kissi called this a penny, at least in English. Slender rods like it served as currency among the Kissi peoples through much of the 20th century, in daily trade and in larger payments such as bridewealth. They were often counted out in bundles. The shaft is thin and twisted along its length. One end is hammered into a small flat fan, the other into an irregular, leaf-like paddle.

The dark iron shows the unevenness of hand forging. Keep one, or keep several. A pocketful was once a fortune of sorts.