China - Pointed foot Spade - Zhao

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[Archaic: Cowries, Spades & Knives]

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[ Archaic: Cowries, Spades & Knives ]

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[ Archaic: Cowries, Spades & Knives ]

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T. P. Collection. Part of the family of flat handled spade money, this Type 2 is a Pointed Foot spade (350 - 250 B.C.) from the State of Zhao. This a smaller type, OB: "Da Yin" with characters on the left. This is example is 4.3 grams and 52 x 30 mm. Hartill #3.62
Some of the earliest money was made in China, where coins were cast in the shape of tools such as spades and knives. Utilitarianly worthless, these token objects recollected real implements with actual utility value, items that had traditionally been bartered for livestock and land. The change to a make-believe version in the 7th century BCE increased commerce by easing exchange “ i.e., friction was reduced by lightning the load“ but these coins reminded people at every trade that money was merely symbolic. Knife and spade money arguably countered the abstraction of wealth and the concomitant distortion of values. [NNP, Newman Numismatic Portal article]