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Warring States Period
An Yi Half Qin Spade Money
State of Wei
戰國時期
安邑半釿布幣
魏國造
Item number: A1282
Year: 410-238BC
Material: Bronze
Size: 47.71 x 33.64 mm
Weight: 6.34 g
Manufactured by: An Yi
Provenance: Da Chen Stamps and Coins Collection 2016
This is an “An Yi Half Qin Spade Money” coin from the early to middle Warring States period, produced by the State of Wei. An Yi was the early capital of Wei. “Qin” was a unit of weight used to measure the currency, and it also represented the value of the coin itself. The term “Half Qin” refers to the coin’s denomination, and the name “An Yi Half Qin Spade Money” is derived from this.
The “An Yi Half Qin Spade Money” belongs to the “Qin Spade Money” category of the spade-shaped currency. It is also known as “Arc shaped Foot Spade Money” due to the square foot and curved shape at the bottom of the coin, which resembles an arch or bridge. The front of the coin is stamped with its place of minting and denomination, with the inscriptions written upside down, meaning they need to be read from bottom to top and from left to right. The back of the coin is blank.
The “Spade Money” is a type of metal coin modelled after spade-shaped agricultural tools, and it is referred to in historical records as “鎛” (Bo) or the homophone “布” (Bu). As the first metal currency in Chinese history, spade money can often be found in the logos of financial departments and banking institutions in China, Hong Kong, and Taiwan.
Spade money developed from the late Shang Dynasty to the Warring States period, with the core region being the Three Jin States (Han, Zhao, Wei). Over time, it evolved into various forms. One of the key features of the Wei currency was the coin stamped with the character “釿” (Qin). In addition to the “An Yi Half Qin Spade Money”, there were also the “An Yi One Qin Spade Money” and the “An Yi Two Qin Spade Money”. These coins, with different denominations, all belong to the “An Yi Spade Money” minted during the Wei state when its capital was in An Yi The “An Yi Spade Money” is characterised by irregular forms. For example, coins of the same denomination may have the character “安” (An) inscribed on the reverse side, or they may be blank. The inscription on the front side of the coin may be written upright or upside down, reflecting the lack of standardisation during their minting.