Item number: A1636

Year: 376-233 BC

Material: Bronze

Size: 43.2 x 24.6 x 0.9 mm

Weight: 5.35 g

Provenance: Da Chen Stamps & Coins Collection 2014

This is a Square Foot Spade (Fangzu Bu) from the Warring States period, issued by the state of Zhao. It was one of the most widely circulated forms of currency in the Three Jin region. The obverse features a vertical line extending downward from the top to the middle, serving as a dividing mark. On either side of this line, the characters Ping (平) and Yang (陽) are inscribed in seal script, indicating the minting location of Pingyang. The calligraphy of Pingyang Square Foot Spades exhibits a variety of stylistic variations. The reverse side is heavily corroded, making it difficult to discern finer details.

The Pingyang Square Foot Spade has been unearthed in large quantities within Shanxi Province, with discoveries primarily concentrated around Linfen. During the late Warring States period, Linfen was part of the Zhao state. Around 233 BC, the region fell to Qin forces.

Spade money, also referred to in historical texts as “鎛” or homophonously as “布,” were metal coins shaped like spades, an agricultural tool. As the first form of metallic currency in Chinese history, spade money often appears in the logos of financial departments and banking institutions in regions such as China, Hong Kong, and Taiwan. The development of spade money dates from the late Shang Dynasty to the Warring States period, with the Three Jins region (Han, Zhao, and Wei) serving as its core and giving rise to various forms.

物件編號: A1636

年代: 公元前 376-233 年

材質: 青銅

尺寸: 43.2 x 24.6 x 0.9 mm

重量: 5.35 g

來源: 大城郵幣社 2014

這是一枚戰國時期，三晉地區最為普遍流通的趙國造「平陽」方足布。方足布的正面有一條從首部向下延伸到中間的豎線，以這道豎線作為分界線，右邊和左邊以篆書分別鐫刻「平/陽」，即方足布的鑄造地點。平陽方足布的書法有多種豐富不同的變體。方足布的背面鏽蝕較為嚴重，無法輕易辨識細節。

平陽方足布在山西省境內大量出土，主要集中在臨汾一帶。臨汾在戰國時代晚期為趙國的領地，大約在公元前233年之際遭到秦軍攻陷。

布幣是仿造鏟形農具的金屬錢幣，史書上寫作「鎛」或同音字「布」。由於布幣是中國歷史上第一種金屬貨幣，經常能在中國、香港和臺灣等地的財政部門和銀行機構標誌裡發現布幣。布幣從商朝末期發展到戰國時代，以三晉地區(韓、趙、魏)為核心已延伸出多種形態。