Those were great! I'm pretty good at doing math in my head and my brain still visualizes numbers and their relationships based on lengths and colors. In 1970s Sweden they were called "tiostavar", "ten-sticks". They were made of high quality painted wood and very tactile and pleasant to work with. The lengths were precise so they would add up properly in any combination, and the widths were equal to one unit of length so you could make areas and volumes.

(Edit) like these: https://orsjoforskoleklass.files.wordpress.com/2014/11/img_3...