Catalog
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| Issuer | Zhao, State of |
|---|---|
| Year | 350 BC - 250 BC |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | Log in to see details |
| Currency | Log in to see details |
| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Weight | Log in to see details |
| Diameter | Log in to see details |
| Thickness | Log in to see details |
| Shape | Log in to see details |
| Technique | Log in to see details |
| Orientation | Log in to see details |
| Engraver(s) | Log in to see details |
| In circulation to | Log in to see details |
| Reference(s) | FD#160, Hartill#3.182 |
| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Log in to see details |
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | Log in to see details |
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| Reverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Edge | Log in to see details |
| Mint | An Yang (modern Anyang, Henan Province) |
| Mintage | ND (350 BC - 250 BC) - Hartill#3.182-183: Small size - ND (350 BC - 250 BC) - Hartill#3.184: Large size - |
| Additional information |
The spade coinage of the Warring States period was not standardized across competing kingdoms — each state maintained its own weight systems and monetary conventions, making cross-border trade a constant exercise in reckoning. Zhao's hollow-handle spades, of which this is a fractional unit, circulated primarily within the Wei River basin territories the state controlled during its expansion toward the Yellow River plain.
An Yang itself was a significant regional center, and its named issues suggest a degree of localized monetary administration unusual even by Warring States standards — place-name inscription on spade money typically indicates production tied to a specific foundry or market town rather than a central mint.