Copper coins during the Warring States Period can be divided into four major monetary systems, namely cloth coins, knife coins, ant-nosed coins, and ring coins.

1. Cloth coins

Bu coins are ancient Chinese currency. Because they are shaped like shovels, they are also called shovel cloths. They appeared in the early Spring and Autumn Period and were minted and circulated until the late Warring States Period. . Bu is a homophonic loanword of D, which was commonly used in ancient times. Cloth coins evolved from bronze farm tools and were mainly used in the Sanjin and Zhouzhou areas. According to the shape of cloth coins, they can be divided into two categories: empty-headed cloth and flat-headed cloth.

The original cloth coins retained their appearance as tools, with a handle for the handle. They were original and thick, so they were called Kongshou cloth; later they gradually became lighter, thinner, and smaller, and the coins became The body is completely in the shape of a sheet, which is called Pingshou cloth. Pingshou cloth usually has place names or commemorative characters cast on it. Later, Wang Mang's new dynasty also made cloth coins.

Bronze shovel-shaped currency from the Eastern Zhou Dynasty in China. It appeared in the late Spring and Autumn Period and was widely circulated after the middle period of the Warring States Period. It is mainly used in Sanjin and Zhouzhou areas. It evolved from the bronze farm tool n, and the sound derived from n is called cloth; because its shape resembles a shovel, it is also called shovel cloth.

The earliest cloth coins had a hollow head, retaining the handle used as a tool, and were called empty-headed cloth. Later, it became a flat-headed cloth without hooks, and the coin body became completely flaky, making it easier to cast and carry. There are often characters cast on the flat cloth, such as place names such as Anyi and Jinyang, and currency units such as one Y and twelve Zhu (baht). The fact that the coins are made into an n-shape indicates that agricultural tools were used as a medium of exchange in this area. Later Wang Mang went back to his old ways and once again made cloth coins.

Bu coins are a general term for shovel-shaped currencies such as empty-headed cloth and flat-headed cloth that were minted during the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period. It is named after its shape.

2. Knife coins

Knife coins evolved from the bronze tools of the Shang and Zhou dynasties. Therefore, the handle ends of the knife coins have rings and cracks on the handles. There are needle-headed knives, pointed-headed knives, round-headed knives, curved-backed knives, etc., which are mainly circulated in Qi, Yan and other places in the east, and later developed to coexist with cloth coins in Zhao, Zhongshan and other countries. There are many types, including Qi Dao, Jimo Dao, Anyang Dao, Needle Shou Dao, Jian Shou Dao, Yuan Shou Dao and Ming Dao.

There are characters cast on it. After Qin Shihuang unified China, he unified the currency system and abolished shells, knives, cloth and other coins. Later, the coins minted by Wang Mang contained gold-wrapped knives.

Qi State in the east and Yan State in the north mainly used knife coins. There are two types of knives and coins: Yanming knives and Qidaohua. The shape of the knife coin is similar to the knife tools used by northern nomads such as Shanrong and Beidi for fishing and hunting. Because Qidao has the word "hua" on its surface, it is called "daohua". The shape of the knife is divided into arc back, folded back and straight back. The head of the knife can be divided into flat head and pointed head. It is also an early bronze coinage in my country.

3. Wan Qian

Wan Qian, also known as Wan Jin and Huan Qian, is an ancient Chinese copper coin that was mainly circulated in Qin and Wei during the Warring States Period. Round, with a round hole in the center. There are characters cast on the money. It is said that it evolved from a spinning wheel or a jade ring. It is the predecessor of square hole money.

Wan Qian is a type of round copper currency minted during the Warring States Period in China. It is also called Wan Hua, or Huan Qian for short. It is one of the four major copper coinage systems in my country's pre-Qin period, and was mainly used in the Qin Dynasty. form of coinage. There are two major types of round coins: one is round round hole, which is relatively primitive; the other is round square hole (which gradually evolved from round round hole). The perforation of the round coin is relatively small at first, and then gradually becomes larger. There are inscriptions on the front of the round coin, but no words on the back.

4. Ant-nosed money

Ant-nosed money is the currency circulated in Chu State in the Yangtze-Huaihe River Basin. It was transformed from imitation shellfish. Since the economy and culture of the Chu State were lagging behind those of other countries in the Central Plains, and the use of knives, knives, and spinning wheels was also late, copper coins followed the form of imitation shells. The shape of the ant-nosed money is oval, with a raised front and a flat back. It is shaped like a shell but smaller in size.

Since the founding of the People's Republic of China, ant-nosed coins have been mostly unearthed in Henan and Jiangsu. Ghost-faced coins have been found in Hubei, Hunan, Henan, Jiangsu, Anhui and other places. In 1963, 5,000 ghost-faced coins were unearthed from Yezhu Lake in Xiaogan, Hubei Province in 1963. Their faces were inscribed with curses, and the average weight was about 4.37 grams.

Judging from the location and number of tombs unearthed. Ant-nosed coins were minted in the early Warring States Period (5th century BC), while grimace coins were minted in the middle and late Warring States Period, approximately 4th-3rd century BC. The territory of Chu State was not very large at the beginning. Later, the territory gradually expanded, and the circulation scope of ant-nosed money and grimace money also expanded, and an independent monetary system was gradually formed in the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River.

The formation and development of the four major monetary systems

The shovel shape of cloth coins evolved from the agricultural tools "qian" and "pen" of the farming economy. The circulation scope of cloth coins is mainly in the farming economic area in the middle reaches of the Yellow River. To this day, people still regard cloth coins as a symbol of China's numismatic culture. The emblem of the People's Bank of China is an image of the character "人" composed of three golden cloth coins.

The knife-shaped coins originated from fishing and hunting economic tools and were mainly circulated in the eastern vassal states in the Yellow River Basin. In the early days, the knife coins were similar to sharpening knives. Later, some knife coins were cast with an outer outline, which not only looked beautiful, but also enhanced the firmness of the coins and prevented the wear and tear of the money inscriptions.

The round round hole of the round coin originated from the spinning wheel or jade ring as an economic tool in the handicraft industry, and was mainly circulated in the Qin and Wei states. Wan money gradually replaced other coins with its superior convenience of use, laying the foundation for Qin Shihuang's unified currency system.

The ant nose coin is a cast copper coin from the southern Chu State. It is valued in pieces and is more convenient to use.

Since Chu State was rich in gold, Chu State became the only country that popularized gold coinage at that time. The earliest existing gold coin is Chu State's "Ying Yuan".