1122 BC CHINA CHOU DYNASTY MONEY COLLECTION KNIFE & ROUNDED COIN SET

This collection contains one fine knife coin and one rounded coin from the Zhao (Chou) Dynasty during the late Warring States period

Knife money is the name of large, cast, bronze, knife-shaped commodity money produced by various governments and kingdoms in what is now China

This type of spade money was cast and circulated during the Zhao (CHOU) period.

Ring-shaped coins, known as huan qian (环钱), first appeared during the Warring States period (475-221 BC).

The simple round shape, which would eventually evolve into the universally recognized Chinese "cash coin", made the coins more convenient to carry than the knife and spade money that had been circulating.

The origin for the round shape with a hole is believed to have been from either the spinning wheel or the ancient Chinese jade ring known as a bi (璧).  The exact purpose of the bi is unknown but it may have originally been a symbol for the sky.  It also seemed to have symbolized morality and official rank.

This sells as a SET only.