Kissi Iron Penny Currency

Before coins were common, there were the pennies.

Kissi pennies circulated in the region where Sierra Leone, Guinea and Liberia meet, and larger sums were counted in bundles. This one was forged by the Kissi and used as currency in the 20th century. Nearly ten inches long, it has an especially slender, gently bowed shaft, its twist visible along its whole length. A thin, fan-like flare finishes one end, while the other opens into a small, irregular paddle with a softly notched edge.

The iron is a warm rust-brown, dry and textured from age.

Delicate, like a stem.