Kissi Iron Penny Currency

The forest country where Sierra Leone, Guinea and Liberia meet ran, for a long while, on iron.

This Kissi penny is nine and a half inches, forged in the 20th century. Slender rods like it were widely used for trade and bridewealth across that region. The shaft turns in a long, loose spiral, ending in a small flat crossbar at one side and a broad, fan-shaped paddle with softly lobed edges at the other. Warm rust-brown, with paler highlights.

Alone or in company, it shows how many ways a smith can finish a simple idea.