Kissi Iron Penny Currency

Twelve inches of Kissi iron, forged flat, and the hammer’s work still plain to see.

Kissi smiths of Sierra Leone forged this currency bar in the 20th century. Rods of its kind circulated across Sierra Leone, Liberia and Guinea well into the last century, used for everyday trade as well as for bridewealth and other formal exchanges. The shaft is twisted along much of its length, ending at one side in a flat, T-shaped blade with a small hooked tip and at the other in a rough, rounded paddle.

The surface is a warm rust brown.

You can hear it, if you look.