In some areas of central Africa, unadorned copper and iron rods and wires served as currency until about 1907. Instead of being valued according to weight, these currencies were priced by length. In the Congo River region, these rods came to be used to set the price for goods, which could then be purchased for equivalent values in other currencies, whether beads, cloth or other items. Although these rods were to have a fixed length, they often lost length as they passed from hand to hand. In one area, the rods lost more than 20 inches in the span of about 24 years. Bundling tiny copper and brass wires provided an alternative form of exchange for small transactions.