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1/2 Jin Zhao state, Wen Yang
| Issuer | Zhao, State of |
|---|---|
| Year | 350 BC - 250 BC |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | 1/2 Jin |
| Currency | Log in to see details |
| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Diameter | Log in to see details |
| Thickness | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Flat-handled spade money of the Warring States period, cast in bronze with a characteristic trapezoidal shoulder, squared body, and bifurcated foot. A central vertical rib divides the field, flanked on either side by a raised border. Two archaic Chinese seal-script ideograms reading right to left, translating as 'Wen Yang', are cast in relief within the field, denoting the place-name of issue. The surface displays an olive-green patina consistent with prolonged burial, with areas of cuprite and malachite encrustation typical of Zhou-era bronzes. |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Log in to see details |
| Obverse lettering | 文陽 |
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| Additional information |
The Zhao state occupied the northern tier of the Warring States world, bordered by steppe nomads to the north and rival kingdoms on every other side. Their spade coinage circulated in a region where bronze was also being consumed by weapons production at a rate few other states matched. Wen Yang — modern Wenxian in Henan — was a contested town that changed hands more than once during the fourth and third centuries BC.
Hartill 3.392 places this among the flat-foot spade issues, a typological distinction from the earlier hollow-handle forms that preceded Zhao's monetary consolidation.