2013.29.3 Kissi pennies

Called "Kissi pennies," the shape of these forged iron bars is meaningful: the flattened end represents a fish's tail, and the cross piece a "bird's wing," to help it circulate as currency. Blacksmiths who had specialized knowledge regarding the extraction of iron ore and the forging of implements made Kissi pennies.

Money must be durable, portable, divisible, and widely-recognized. These "Kissi pennies" have all these attributes. They were used among the indigenous peoples of Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone (land of the Kissi peoples) until the mid-20th century, when coins and paper money became the official mediums of exchange. The bars—each of which was worth a penny—were tied together in bundles with a specific value.

n.d.: Private collection, Europe

2013: Dallas Museum of Art, anonymous gift

The main source for this provenance is the Acquisition Proposal in the Collections Records object file (2013.29.A-C)

Apply to objects where number equals 2013.29.3