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Warring States period
Ping Pointed Foot Spade
State of Zhao
戰國 平尖足布 趙國造
Item number: A284
Year: 386-222 BC
Material: Bronze
Size: 56.5 x 28.4 x 0.9 mm
Weight: 5.41 g
Provenance: Private Collecor, Taiwan, 2016
This is a currency from the state of Zhao during the Warring States period, known as the “? Ping Pointed Foot Spade” coin. Due to its age, the surface exhibits considerable rust, obscuring many details. On the obverse side of the pointed foot spade, there are two vertical lines at the top, with the inscription “? Ping” in seal script in the abdomen, separated by a vertical line at the center. On the reverse side of the pointed foot spade, there is a single vertical line at the top, with presumably two vertical lines near each side in the abdomen, although they are largely obscured by rust. There appears to be a character resembling “two” between these lines.
The place names on the pointed foot spades from the State of Zhao are often read from right to left, with some inscriptions being vertically engraved on the same side. However, due to extensive rust damage on this object’s surface, the casting location cannot be directly discerned. Nonetheless, by comparing the remaining character “Ping” on the left side with other unearthed artifacts, three potential readings could be inferred: “Ping Zhou,” “Wu Ping,” and “Shang Ping.”
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. Spade money circulated in Zhao, particularly represented by the “Pointed foot spade” with angular bases, available in large and small sizes. Small pointed foot spades are more commonly found in archaeological excavations, with over forty different variations known to exist. Even for spades minted in the same location, variations in the characters used to denote the place name may still be observed.