Item number: A4682

Year: 475-221 BC

Material: Bronze

Size: 43.0 x 24.0 mm

Provenance: Fuchin Coin 2026

This is a flat-head and square-foot spade coin struck in the State of Qi during the Warring States period. As economic and social development increased the demand for currency across different regions, new forms of coinage emerged to meet these growing needs.

Flat-headed spade coins developed from hollow-handled spade coins and generally have a broad, flat body. They can be divided into several types according to their form. As its name suggests, the square-foot type is distinguished by its square-shaped feet. Its shoulders may be either flat or raised, while the recess between the feet may have either a straight or curved outline.

Both the obverse and reverse are bisected by a vertical line. On the obverse, the markings to the left and right of this line appear respectively to form the two components of a pre-Qin form of the character “郎” (Lang). On the reverse, in addition to the central vertical line, a border line runs along each side.

Since AD 1956, examples of this type have been unearthed at Yanggao, Ruicheng, and Fushan in Shanxi; Luoyang and Xinzheng in Henan; Tumed Left Banner in Inner Mongolia; and Yixian and Lingshou in Hebei, including the site of the Lower Capital of Yan. These findspots correspond broadly to the territories of the Three Jin states, the two Zhou states, and Yan during the Warring States period.

There are differing interpretations regarding where this spade coin was struck. In antiquity, “郎” (Lang) could refer to Langye, a place associated with Qi, while another interpretation identifies it as a settlement in Lu. Although knife money predominated in Qi and bronze cowries in Lu, both are known to have issued small quantities of spade coins, possibly to facilitate trade with neighbouring states. Moreover, among excavated examples bearing place-name inscriptions, those associated with Qi are more numerous than those attributed to Lu. On the basis of this evidence, the present coin is provisionally attributed to the State of Qi.

Spade coinage is believed to have originated in the early Spring and Autumn period from agricultural implements known as “錢” (qian) or “耒” (lei). The qian was another name for a spade, referring to a “耜” (si) fitted with a metal cutting edge, while both the lei and si were implements used for turning the soil. Its development can be broadly divided into three principal stages: primitive spade money, hollow-handled spades, and flat-headed spades.

Primitive spade money represents the transition from agricultural implements to currency. Unlike practical tools, these pieces were smaller and lighter, with a short socket. Their larger and heavier predecessors were inconvenient for transactions, prompting modifications that eventually led to the emergence of hollow-handled spades.

Hollow-handled spades retained a socket for a wooden handle at the junction between the head and body, longer than that of their predecessors. They circulated primarily in Zhou, Zheng, Wei, and Jin. Early examples were uninscribed, while later issues bore simple characters and numerals. Although gradually superseded during the Warring States period, they remained in circulation in some regions.

Flat-headed spades were used mainly in the Three Jin states of Han, Zhao, and Wei. They comprised several types, including pointed-foot, square-foot, round-foot, and jin spades, together with other less common forms. Pointed-foot spades appeared first and, initially confined to northern Jin, spread more widely as the state grew in power. Within less than two centuries, however, they were superseded by the square-foot type. Their decline may be attributed to the fragility of their material and pointed feet, difficulties in carrying and storage, limited output under traditional casting methods, and inconsistent quality as production increased.

As pointed-foot spades flourished in Jin, Song and Zheng introduced a more durable design with square feet, a wider neck, and two small projections at the top. These became known as sharp-cornered, or eared, spades. Slightly later, Han, Pishi, and Pingzhou adopted a similar design but omitted the projections, producing the classic square-foot spade.

物件編號: A4682

年代: 公元前 475-221 年

材質: 青銅

尺寸: 43.0 x 24.0 mm

來源: 福君錢幣 2026

這是一枚戰國時期由齊國所造之平首方足布。當時隨著經濟和社會的發展，各地對貨幣的需求提高，為了滿足需求而產生新的貨幣制度。

平首布，由空首布發展而來，布身呈正方形，平肩平足。方足布，顧名思義，足部為方型，兩肩或平或聳，底部凹陷處有平或圓弧樣式。

正反面皆有一條豎紋貫穿，以豎紋為基準，此方足布正面左側似為先秦時期「郎」古字之左部，右側為其右部；背面除豎紋外，兩側各有一側線。

此布自公元1956年以來，於山西陽高、芮城、浮山、河南洛陽、新鄭、內蒙古土默特左旗、河北易縣燕下都遺址、靈壽等地有出土。對應戰國時期的三晉、兩周，及燕。而關於此布鑄造之地有不同說法，「郎」之一字在古代可代指郎邪，即齊地；另一說為魯之邑。齊地雖主要行用刀幣，魯國則主要行用銅貝，但都有少量鑄行布幣的紀錄，可能是便於與他國貿易；出土之布幣上刻有鑄造地的銘文中，齊地相比之下亦多於魯國，基於以上所述，將此布鑄造之國假定為齊國。

布幣的起源一般認為可追溯至春秋早期，由名為「錢」或「耒」的古代農具演變而來。「錢」為鏟的別名，指帶有金屬鋒刃的「耜」，而耒與耜皆為翻土農具。布幣的發展大致可分為三個主要階段：原始布、空首布和平首布。

原始布是農具轉變為貨幣的過渡階段。與實用農具不同，其形體較小、重量較輕，並具有短銎。由於其較早的前身體積較大且笨重，不利於交易，因此逐漸加以改良，最終促成空首布的出現。

空首布在首部與布身的銜接處仍保留可納木柄的銎部，且較其前身為長，主要流通於周、鄭、衛、晉等地。早期空首布並無銘文，後期則開始出現簡單的文字與數字。雖然戰國時期逐漸被其他形制取代，但部分地區仍持續流通。

平首布主要流通於韓、趙、魏三晉地區，形制可分為尖足、方足、圓足、釿布及其他較少見的類型，其中以尖足布最早出現。尖足布起初僅流通於晉國北部，後隨國力增強而逐漸擴大流通範圍。然而，不到兩百年便被方足布所取代。其衰落可能與數項因素有關，包括銅料及尖足本身容易損壞、形制不利於攜帶與儲存、傳統鑄造方式限制產量，以及擴大生產後造成的品質不一。

當尖足布盛行於晉地時，宋、鄭等國開始採用更為耐用的新形制，以方足取代尖足，同時加寬頸部，並在首端增加兩個小型突起，形成所謂的「銳角布」，亦稱「有耳布」。稍晚，韓、皮氏、平周等地沿用相近設計，但去除首端的突起，進而形成經典的方足布。