Item number: A3755

Year: 313–222 BC

Material: Bronze

Size: 131.0 x 17.5 x 1.4 mm

Weight: 15.1 g

Provenance: Spink 2023

This is a Ming Knife Money from the late Warring States period, widely circulated within the state of Yan. Knife money was a form of currency used primarily in the northern and eastern feudal states during the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods, including Yan, Qi, Zhao, and Zhongshan. The design of knife money was inspired by everyday tools used by fishing and hunting communities, evolving from knives into a monetary form. The Ming knife money represents the most common type of knife coin issued by the state of Yan. Archaeologists have categorised these coins into three general types based on their appearance and the period in which they were produced.

This knife-shaped coin conforms to the typology of late Warring States knife money, characterised by the transition of the blade edge from a rounded curve to an angular, squared turn to facilitate bundling. The striations on the handle extend upward into the blade, reinforcing the overall structure and reducing the likelihood of breakage. The entire surface of the coin exhibits green copper corrosion. On one side of the blade, the character ming (明) is incised in an oracle-bone script style, although some scholars interpret it as a variant form of yan (晏). On the opposite side of the blade, a character resembling ri (日) appears to be present, while the remaining marks are unclear and their significance remains to be determined. At the terminal end of the handle there was originally a circular perforation intended for stringing; the surrounding ring of this hole has since broken away.

The history of the Yan state can be traced back to the early Western Zhou period when Duke Shao (召公奭), a member of the Shang royal lineage, assisted King Wu of Zhou in overthrowing the Shang dynasty. Due to its remote location far from the Central Plains, historical records on Yan’s early history remain sparse. It was not until the Warring States period that Yan engaged more actively with the states of the Central Plains. During Qin Shi Huang’s campaign to unify China, Yan was the second-to-last state to be annexed by Qin. In a desperate attempt to resist Qin’s expansion, Crown Prince Dan of Yan sent the assassin Jing Ke to eliminate the King of Qin, but the mission failed. Ultimately, Yan was conquered by Qin in 222 BC.

物件編號: A3755

年代: 公元前 313–222 年

材質: 青銅

尺寸: 131.0 x 17.5 x 1.4 mm

重量: 15.1 g

來源: 斯賓克拍賣行 2023

這是一枚戰國晚期，在燕國境內大量流通的「明」刀幣。刀幣是一種春秋戰國時期，主要流通於燕、齊、趙和中山國等，地處北方和東方的諸侯國。刀幣為模仿漁獵族群使用的生活器具，從刀具演變而來的貨幣造型設計。「明」刀幣是燕國最為普遍的刀幣形制，考古學家根據外觀和時代將其大致區分為三種類型。

這一枚刀幣符合戰國晚期的刀幣形制，即刀刃從圓弧轉變為方折以便於綑綁，刀柄的條紋向上延伸至刀身以強化整體的強度，不會輕易地被折斷。刀幣通體呈現銅綠色鏽蝕，其中一面的刀身以甲骨文鐫刻「明」字，但也有學者認為是「晏」的異體字。另一側的刀身似有「日」字，其餘不明，涵義待考。刀柄尾端原有一個供穿繫用的圓孔，孔環已斷。

燕國的歷史能追溯至西周立國初期，輔佐周武王打敗商朝的宗室召公奭。由於燕國的封地遠離中原地區，因此史冊對於燕國早期的歷史較為模糊，直到戰國時期燕國和中原各國有較為密切的互動。秦始皇展開統一大業之後，燕國是倒數第二個遭到秦國併吞的國家，為了抵擋秦國的入侵，燕太子丹派遣刺客荊軻刺殺秦王未果，最終燕國仍於公元前222年遭到秦國征服。