Kissi Iron Penny Currency

Eleven and a half inches of iron, and the waver in the shaft is the smith’s hand.

This is a Kissi penny, made by the Kissi of Sierra Leone in the 20th century. Such bars served as money in the forest region where Sierra Leone, Guinea and Liberia meet, and they were exchanged in marriage settlements as well as in ordinary trade. The twisted shaft finishes in a flattened, rounded paddle at one end and a small flared crossbar at the other.

A dry, reddish-brown surface with fine pitting.

Nobody ruled this line. It was made by hand.