Congolese Sword Currency, Based

Sixty-eight inches. Taller than most of the people who ever stood before it.

This Republic of Congo sword is not a weapon. Iron shaped like arms and tools circulated across Central Africa as stores of wealth, handed over in bridewealth and other weighty payments, never in combat. A long, narrow blade with a raised central ridge rises from a flared, diamond-shaped lower section. The flat surfaces have weathered to a soft, mottled gray, dry and textured. Twentieth century, on its base.

Put it in a corner. A tall silence can be a fine thing to own.