Kissi Iron Penny Currency, Based

A hair-thin rod with a smudge of a leaf at the top and a flat plinth below.

This penny currency on a base is Kissi, from Sierra Leone, West Africa, and dates to the 20th century. It is iron. Iron money was made by blacksmiths, and such currency was often used for bride payments and other exchanges as well as for everyday trade. A very long, slender rod with a gently twisted, rough surface stands in a low black rectangular base. The top ends in a tiny, uneven flat shape like a pressed leaf. The tone is a dull, sandy brown-grey. It is 2 inches wide, 2 deep and 18 high.

Delicate to a fault and balanced anyway.