Kissi Iron Penny Currency

Heavy at one end, fine at the other. Hardly twisted at all, in the end.

This Kissi penny, Sierra Leone, 20th century, measures eighteen and a quarter inches. Forged iron rods like it were long used as currency in the region, valued in trade and in bride-wealth payments. A substantial triangular crossbar, flattened and slightly pointed, sits at one end. The shaft is broad near it and tapers steadily to a fine tip, with only a hint of twist along the way. The iron is heavily rusted in rich browns, crusty and pitted.

Plain speaking, in rust.