Ant-nose money Jin, type 2

Ant-nose coins — named by Western collectors for the facial resemblance visible in the cast relief — were the primary small-denomination currency of the Chu state throughout the Warring States period. Chu was unusual among the major states in never adopting the knife or spade currencies dominant in the north, instead developing this distinctive oval cast form that has no direct parallel elsewhere in Chinese monetary history. The type 2 designation in Hartill's classification distinguishes specific inscription variants, as the characters cast onto these pieces remain disputed among scholars — some read them as denominational, others as mint or clan marks.