Item number: A285

Year: 386-222 BC

Material: Bronze

Size: 56.2 x 28.6 x 1.0 mm

Weight: 6.05 g

Provenance: Private Collecor, Taiwan, 2016

This is an example of “Wu’an Pointed Foot Spade” currency minted in the state of Zhao during the Warring States period. Wu’an, near the Zhao capital of Handan, was an important economic and military stronghold. Due to its antiquity, this particular pointed foot spade has suffered significant corrosion, with only faint remnants of its original features visible. On the obverse side, there are discernible characteristics such as two vertical lines at the top and a central vertical line, serving as identifying features. However, on the reverse side, features such as a single vertical line at the top and additional vertical lines flanking the abdomen have been entirely obscured by rust.

Based on the collections from other museums, the Wu’an Pointed Foot Spade typically features the central vertical line on the obverse side, with the characters “Wu’an” engraved on both sides in a right-to-left sequence. Unfortunately, severe rusting has made these inscriptions illegible. According to historical records and archaeological findings, Wu’an during the Warring States period was known for its iron production rather than copper mining for coin minting. Therefore, the toponymic inscriptions on Zhao state spade money may not necessarily indicate the minting location but could also refer to the place of circulation.

Additionally, during the Warring States period, territorial boundaries among states were fluid, with cities often changing hands or overlapping between different states. For example, Wu’an, at various times during the Warring States period, was under the control of Zhao, Han, and Qin. As a result, archaeological excavations in the area have uncovered not only Zhao state’s pointed foot spades but also hollow-handled spades of the Han state.

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.

物件編號: A285

年代: 公元前 386-222 年

材質: 青銅

尺寸: 56.2 x 28.6 x 1.0 mm

重量: 6.05 g

來源: 臺灣私人收藏 2016

這是一件戰國時期的趙國造「武安尖足布」貨幣，武安靠近趙國的首都邯鄲是重要的經濟和軍事要地。由於年代久遠，該枚尖足布已經嚴重鏽蝕，僅能勉強依照正面首部具備兩條豎線，和中央有一道豎線的形制特徵識別為正面。背面的首部應當有一條豎線，腹部兩側應各有一條豎線的特徵已完全為鏽蝕覆蓋。

參考其他博物館收藏的武安尖足布，錢幣正面以中央的豎線為分野，兩側按右至左的順序應刻有「武安」兩字，惜因鏽蝕嚴重無法判讀。根據文獻和考古挖掘，武安於戰國時代僅有出產鐵礦，未有鑄造錢幣的銅礦。故趙國尖足布的地名銘文，不一定是指涉鑄造地也可能是流通地的地名。除此之外，戰國時期各國的疆域沒有固定界線，城池經常彼此相互交錯或易手。以武安為例，戰國時期曾輾轉於趙、韓、秦之手，故當地的考古發掘不僅發現趙國尖足布，亦有出土韓國型制的空首布。

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。趙國流通的布幣以尖角底座的「尖足布」為代表，分為大型和小型兩種大小。小型尖足布的出土較為豐富，其種類就高達四十餘種。即便是同一個地點鑄造的尖足布，地名的筆劃寫法可能仍有差異。