Kissi Iron Penny Currency

Tied in bundles, valued by count, spent on the things that mattered.

This Kissi penny was forged from iron in Sierra Leone in the 20th century, one of the long twisted rods that served as currency in the region and for important payments such as bridewealth. Nine and a half inches long, it has a fine, spiraling shaft with small bright flecks of bare metal along the twist. One end spreads into a short, flared, T-shaped tip; the other carries a broad, roughly rounded paddle with a rusty, uneven surface.

Light and linear.

Think of it as a drawing in iron that happened to be money.