Numismatic Auction #18

EASTERN CHOU: Anonymous, 500-400 BC, AE spade money (38.51g), H-2.182, Hollow Handle Pointed Shoulders Spade Money, uninscribed type, one minor natural casting hole, three tips missing, deep green patina and very light soil deposits with some original metal showing through, VF. This type of spade has pointed shoulders and feet and a long hollow handle. There are three parallel lines on the obverse and reverse with occasional inscriptions. They are found in Northeast Henan and Shanxi Provinces, the territory of the Duchy of Jin, later to become State of Zhao. They are held to be somewhat later in date than the square shouldered spades. Their shape seems to be designed for ease of tying together in bundles, rather than deriving from any particular agricultural instrument. Photo size reduced.