size=5][color=Brown]Ant Nose Money
Youwen copper shells are the bronze shell coins of the Chu State, called ant nose money or grimace money. This name is not the original name of Chu State shell coins. It's a conventional name. The earliest record of this imitation copper shell as ant-nosed money was Hong Zun's "Quan Zhi" of the Song Dynasty. He said: "This coin is narrow at the top and wide at the bottom. The back is flat, the face is convex, and there are texts like carvings and similar characters, which are also called ants. Nose money." There is no detailed explanation of what characters are engraved on it. It is probably two types of characters with the character "turbulence" and the character "curse" engraved on it. The character "TUO" is shaped like a shell. The top of the money body is pointed and the bottom is rounded. The face is convex and the back is flat. The shape of the Yin character "TUO" is like an ant crawling on the nose, so it is called ant-nosed money. Ant nose money is the same. The word "curse" seems to be a grimace, so it was called "grimace money" by later generations. Later, all the copper shells with inscriptions were called ant-nosed money. The so-called "ant nose" originally refers to a small person. Jin Gehong's "Baopuzi? On Immortals" said: "The missing ant nose is used to donate the priceless Chungu (the name of the sword)", which means that it was abandoned because of a slight defect. A priceless sword, it can be seen that ant nose money is just small money.
The inscriptions of Chubei include "Tuo", "curse", "an", "jun", "xin", "jin", "xing", etc. Some people interpret the word "turbulence" as "Shengxu" (reducing rate). Some people also think that it is a combination of "five Zhu", "each six Zhu", etc. The word "curse" is often interpreted as "bei", "cry", and "beihua". The meaning of Qian Wen needs further research and demonstration.
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. The inscription on the coins was the word "curse" and the average weight was about 4.37 grams. Judging from the location and number of unearthed tombs. 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, around the 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. [/color][/size]
April’s Blood Jade2005-10-14 03:20
[align=center][size=5][color=Brown] Knife coin[/align]
There is also a knife-shaped coin in my country's historical currency, which is called "knife coin" in later generations.
During the Spring and Autumn Period, Qi State, located on the eastern coast of my country, benefited from fishing and salt, and a prosperous commodity exchange emerged. With the continuous development of economic exchanges, Qi State cast a kind of bronze coins shaped like knives (bronze knives) according to local customs, which were called "knife coins". "Knife coins" were first used in the Qi State. During the Warring States Period, they were also circulated in parallel with "cloth coins" in Yanzhao and other places. It evolved from tool cutting used in handicraft industry and daily life.
The official name of "Knife Coin" is "Knife (goods) Knife Coin", which consists of four parts: the blade head, the blade body, the handle and the blade ring. The edge of the knife is contoured, the blade is not outward, facing left instead of right. The back is concave and the blade is convex. The head of the knife is close to a triglyph. The blade and handle are two rectangles of similar size. The ring is round. These geometric shapes are cleverly combined to form a stable, plump and round image beauty and harmonious beauty. According to actual measurements, the diameter of the knife ring and the length of the knife head are 1:7.5, which is exactly the ratio of a person's head and height. The length of the entire "knife coin" (usually about 18 centimeters) is almost the length of a human hand. If 6 sword coins are connected end to end, they can form a ring. This is what is mentioned in "Zhou Li Kao Gong Ji" It is said that "Zhu's style is cut, long and wide, and combined with six sides to form a rule." These precise designs and ingenious conceptions fully reflect the ingenuity of the ancient working people. Later, with the expansion of Qi's territory and war with neighboring countries, the circulation scope of Qi's sword coins gradually expanded to the Yan and Zhao regions. At this time, the sword coins formed three series: "Qi Dao", "Yan Dao" and "Zhao Dao" due to different casting places and different shapes. [/color][/size]
[[i] This post was last edited by April Blood Jade on 2005-10-13 18:53[/i]]
Blood-streaked Jade in April 2005-10-14 06:54
[align=center] [size=5][color=Brown]Qi Dao[/align]
Qi Guo Casting was mainly circulated in Qi State, which is today's Shandong Peninsula. The Qi Dao is relatively thick and famous for its thickness and exquisiteness. Its basic shape is a pointed head, curved back, and concave blade. There is a ring at the end of the knife, and there are characters or decorations on the surface and back. Qi Dao is divided into "three-character sword", "four-character sword", "five-character sword" and "six-character sword". The Qi swords that have been discovered and recorded so far include "Qi Fahua", "Qi Zhifa", "Anyang's legalization", "Jiemo's legalization", "Jianbang's legalization", "Qijian (Zhao) State Chief's legalization" and so on. Among them, "Jiemo", "Anyang" and "Qi" are all place names. "Jiemo" refers to Jimo, Shandong Province today, "Anyang" refers to the area around Caoxian County, Shandong Province, and "Qi" refers to Linzi, the capital of Qi State.
According to actual measurements: Qi's method is generally 18.3-18.5 cm long, 2.87 cm wide, and weighs 44.5-50.5 grams; Jiemo's method is generally 18.5 cm long, 2.8-3 cm wide, and weighs 59-61 grams; Anyang's method The length is 18-18.5 cm, the widest is 2.8-2.9 cm, and the weight is 44.5-47 grams; the length of Qi Jian (Zhao) is about 18.2-18.5 cm, the width is 2.6-2.9 cm, and the weight is 42.3-47 grams; Qi Fa is They are about 17.8-18.7 cm long, 2.6-2.9 cm wide, and weigh 40.8-50.4 grams. The latter two are sword coins minted by Tian Qi in the Warring States Period. They are characterized by the continuous outer edges of the sword coins and the characters on the coins without "Zhi" The word is just "legalization". The six-character sword was the Fahua of the Governor of Qi Jian (Zhao). It is said that it was a commemorative coin at that time. It was rarely handed down and was very precious. Between 378 and 324 BC, that is, during the period from King Wei of Qi to King Xuan of Qi, the State of Qi unified various sword coins with Qi Fahua. [/color][/size]
April’s Blood Jade2005-10-14 06:55
[size=5][size=5][color=Brown] [align=center]Jianshou Dao[/align]
The knife coin entered the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, expanding its scope. First, the "Jian Shou Dao" (including the "Zhen Shou Dao") appeared in the territory of Yan State. The appearance of sword coins in Yan should be influenced by Qi State. King Yan Zhao was very capable of accepting talents. During his reign, he expanded his territory and established Shanggu, Yuyang, Liaoxi and Liaodong counties. There are "Zhen Shou Dao", "Jian Shou Dao" and "Ming Dao" cast in Yan State. The blade of the Needle Shou Knife (the blade is spiked) is similar to the Jian Shou Knife, but the tip is longer and the handle has straight lines, two on the front and one on the back. The copper is not refined, the production is rough, and the writing is simple. Some may have no writing, but they are mainly circulated inside and outside the Great Wall, so they are also called "Xiongnu swords". "Xiongnu Swords" were unearthed in Chengde and Zhangjiakou areas during the Japanese-Puppet period. They were acquired by the Japanese and are now mostly hidden in Japan.
The "pointed-head knife" (the head of the knife is at an acute angle) has a blade length of 15-18 cm, a width of about 1.8-2.6 cm, and a weight of about 15-16 grams. Its shape is similar to that of the Qi Dao, with a curved back and a concave blade. The blade is extremely thin and the back is extremely thick. However, they are both named because the upper end of the blade appears pointed. There are two straight lines on the surface and back of the handle and a ring on one end. At first, there were no words on both sides, and then most of them only had words on one side, mostly with a single word. "Jian-shou knives" were known to originate mostly in Hejian, Baoding, Liaocheng and other places in the past. Since the founding of the People's Republic of China, in 1974, the repairing brigade of Xiaochengzi Commune, Lingyuan County, Liaoning Province unearthed 943 complete "jian-shou knives". The coins have an inscription of , Six, Day, Seven, Eight, Nine, Ji, Hai, Xing, Yu, Qiu, Gong, Shi, Ya, Nian, etc.; In 1975, a batch of "pointed heads" were unearthed from Xidong Shiqiao Village, the former ancient city of Qi State in Linzi, Shandong. "Knife", 80 complete pieces exist; in 1978, a batch of "pointed-headed knives" were unearthed from the Yanxiadu Military Camp in Hebei Province, totaling 1,845 pieces, with a maximum width of 1.8-2.2 cm. The inscriptions are: Da, Ji, Yang, Day, Xing, Bing, There are more than 130 pieces including upper, ancient and arrow heads. In 1979, during the survey of the Lingshou City site in Zhongshan during the Warring States Period, a "pointed-headed sword" was unearthed from the cultural layer of the site from the Spring and Autumn Period to the early Warring States Period, which was earlier than the city site. The outer edge of the blade was raised and broken at the handle. There are two ridges on the handle, some of which are one ridge. The handle does not extend into the blade surface and is circular in shape. Its inscriptions are one, three, five, eight, gong, ren, huayi, yihua, yihua, Shanghua, Fei, Yun, etc. have plain backs, the length of the knife is about 16.2-17.4 cm, the width of the head is 2.2-2.8 cm, and the weight is 11-15 grams.
Based on the stratigraphic judgment, the "Jian-Shou Dao" coin is earlier than other knife coins found in the city. The Jian-Shou Dao was unearthed alone, and there is no phenomenon of other knife coins being mixed together. Therefore, the "Jian-Shou Dao" coin is "Knife" is earlier than the knives of Zhongshan Kingdom. Judging from the Jian-shou knives unearthed in various places, the relationship between "Jian-shou knives" and "Yan knives" is very close. The "Jian Shou Dao" eventually changed its shape. The tip of the knife shrunk into a slope shape, and the word "0D" was cast on the face. It can be seen that the "Jian Shou Dao" was not "legalized" cast by the Yan government, but was made by the Yan State. Currency minted by some local ethnic groups within the country for commercial needs. In the late period, Ming characters appeared on the "Jian Shou Dao", which was the forerunner of Ming Dao. [/color][/size][/size]
April’s Bloody Jade2005-10-14 06:57
[size=5][color=Brown][ align=center]Yan Ming Dao, Qing Folding Dao[/align]
The main knife coin of the Yan Kingdom is the "Ming Dao". Since there is a "0D" symbol cast on the surface of this coin, The shape of this character varies greatly, and various schools of thought have different interpretations of it, including Ming, Yi, Yan, Zhao, etc., so it is also called "Yidao", "Yandao", and "Mingdao".
The back of "Ming Dao" is often cast with words or symbols, and there are now more than hundreds of them. They are usually the identification of the casting place or the casting furnace. Among them, those with "Qi" on the back are usually considered to be cast in the Qi State and are called "Qi Ming Dao", while other types are mostly called "Yan Ming Dao". The "Ming Dao" may be earlier than the founding of Yan, and the Yan people should have made empty heads of cloth or shells when minting coins, and they would not have minted "Ming Dao" from the beginning. Because the Yan people used cloth and shells when they were in Guanzhong, after arriving in Yan, King Zhao of Yan only made "Ming Dao" after returning to the country.
The head of the knife is narrow, the tip is blunt, and the back of the knife has a small curvature and is interrupted. It is famous for its writing with a "ming" character. It is about 14-17 cm long, 1.3-2.2 cm wide, and weighs 15-18 grams. It was unearthed at the Yanxiadu site in Yixian County, Hebei Province, as well as in Hejian, Baoding, Lingyuan, Liaoning Province and other places. It is an early form of the Yanming knife.
"Ming Dao" is divided into two types: "Yuan folding knife" and "Qing folding knife" due to the zigzag state of the knife.
"Folding knife" is generally a larger knife, about 12.8-13.5 cm long, 1.6-1.9 cm wide, and weighs about 14 grams. Its style is the same as the "Jian-Shou Dao", except that the surface pattern of the knife has the word "Yan", and the inscriptions on the back are left, right, inner, outer and middle respectively, and are accompanied by other characters. This may be Ji Fanwen. The joint between the blade and the handle is round. The memorization is more complicated, mostly using the characters "Yi" and "Left" and "Right", such as Zuo, Zuoyi, Zuo Shang, Zuo Yi, Yi Yi, You, Zuo Shang, Zuo Liu, etc.
"Chime folding knives" (also known as square folding knives) are generally small in size, about 12.4-13.3 cm long, 1.5-1.7 cm wide, and weigh 12-18 grams, and some only weigh 1.4 grams , this is an individual phenomenon. The connection between the blade and the handle is a square fold. Ancient Qianists called this square fold "Qing Zhe". Its font is long, majestic and bold, and its style is similar to that of Jimo Dao. The text on the back includes Zuo Xia, You Yi, Zuo Ba, Zuo Yi Wai Lu, and the words Gong, Xing, and Hua on the outside. King Yan Zhao sent Le Yi to attack Qi and occupied its seventy-two cities for six years. The "dao coins" minted in Qi State are also round and heavy, and are usually regarded as treasures among Yan Dao. The "circular folding knife" has a weight loss phenomenon, and the difference can be more than three centimeters. It was produced around the time of King Hui. During this period, on the one hand, due to the failure of Qi's general Tian Dan, Qi's territory was lost; on the other hand, Qi's territory was lost. The feud with Zhao State and successive years of war caused economic difficulties and contributed to the phenomenon of currency devaluation.
After that, the Yan State may have implemented a currency reform, abolished the round folding knife, and replaced it with a square folding knife. The style remained the same and the weight was reduced. After the reform, there seemed to be a period of stability and weight loss again. The square folding knives in the late period were narrow and short, and the casters were rough, but the number was not as large as in the early period. Scholars inferred that it might have been cast by King Yan in Liao, but it soon became It was destroyed, so not much came out. This kind of knife with a square folded outer edge and a long drooping edge is mostly unearthed in the Shandong Peninsula and Jinan, Yidu, Feicheng, Juxian, Changyi and other places. The inscriptions on the back often have place names such as Ju, Anyang, Qi, etc., and some have numbers. As for the characters of stems and branches, not many of them have been unearthed.
The use of "knife coins" in the Yan region should be more than a thousand years old. It has undergone five reforms before and after, and is much more stable than other regions. It's just that it's located in a remote place, its craftsmanship is backward, and its knives and coins are a little rough, but it has a profound local style, straightforward and lively, which is inferior to Qi and Zhao. [/color][/size]
April’s Blood Jade 2005-10-14 07:02
[size=5][color=Brown] Qi Dao
The monetary system of Qi State during the Jiang Dynasty era is still unclear. About "dao", "cloth" and "huan money" were all circulated among the people, which is not very different from the situation in the three Jin Dynasties. Big difference. At the end of the Spring and Autumn Period, the Dafu Tian family took full power and vigorously promoted sword coins as one of the means to seize the country and usurp the throne. The sword coins began to occupy a dominant position in the market. In the 23rd year of King Zhou An (379 BC), the Tian family destroyed the Jiang family and established the Qi State, and its sword coins gradually became the legal tender of the Qi State.
The "Qi Zhi Fa Hua" in Qi Dao is commonly known as the "Four-Character Dao". It is about 17 cm long and 2.8 cm wide. The facial expression is thin and powerful, simple and elegant. The text on the back is close to the head of the knife with "≡", the subscripts "|", "?", and further down there are 日, 上,夻, gan, hua and numbers. There is also controversy over the interpretation of the characters on the front. Some scholars believe that the character "Qi" is the name of the country, the character "夻" is interpreted as "fa", and the new interpretation is "圜". There are also many people who think it should be interpreted as the word "Tai Gong". People who call it "圜" say that the founder of Qi State, Jiang Taigong, did the Wan method, so it should be pronounced "圜". People who call it "Tai Gong" say that it should be in memory of Jiang Taigong, but they don't know that this kind of money is Tian's. Made. At that time, Tian Chang, Tian Pan and others dominated Qi City, slaughtered the Jiang clan and killed powerful officials with great ferocity. At the same time, new money is issued to control the market and amass wealth, so this kind of money is called "legalization", just as Wei State calls its money Shangjin, so it may be interpreted as "圜", but it cannot be interpreted as " Grandpa". Regarding the "three" in the memorization, some people think that the number three matches the cross below and is read as "thirty", which is the chronological value. In fact, this was the symbol of the coins at that time. "Kongshou Bu" and "Jianzuo Bu" both had this symbol. And the character "十" is indeed of great value. The State of Qi originally used "cloth coins" and "huan coins". Tian made knife coins, one for ten, to balance food and control prices. It was a method of inflation, and it was the same method as Liu Chan's casting of "Zhibai Wu Baht". . The word "fa" belongs to the category of auspicious words. Its meaning is flat and value, which can be related to Yi. The other words are either Ji value or Ji place. The Qi sword has a thick body and a thin handle, commonly known as a broken edge. The casting process and the quality of the copper are both very sophisticated. It is cast with a stone mold, so it is very regular. This kind of money has not seen any weight loss, which shows that the issuance is successful, which laid the foundation for the Tian family to seek the country and usurp the throne.
[/color][/size]
April’s Blood Jade 2005-10-14 07:03
[size=5][color=Brown]Six-Character Knife
"Qi Zaobang Chang Fahua", commonly known as "Six-Character Sword", is a commemorative coin of the founding of the People's Republic of China when the Tian family was listed as a prince. In the 16th year of King Zhou An (386 BC), Tian He Chengliang and King Hui of Liang asked the Marquis of Wei to represent him in the Zhou Dynasty. The King of Zhou established Tian He as the Marquis of Qi and formally established the State of Qi. He then forged the "State Sword" to record his prosperity. Therefore, the text is designated as "Qi Zaobang Chang Fa Hua", with one more character on the back, and is 18.2-18.5 cm long and 28-29 cm wide. Among them, the first character "Yi" is interpreted as "Qi", the second character is interpreted as "TU" or "TU", the modern interpretation of "Qi's legalization" is "Zhao", and the fourth character is interpreted as "Jiu" in the modern times. Interpreted as "long"; in addition to the numerals of the cross and the numeral pattern on the back, which are the same as the previous ones, there are also some characters, such as si, gong, day, etc., which may be the code for the newly built foundry. There are roughly two paradigms of this kind of knife, one is for breaking edges, and the other is for repairing broken edges. Therefore, some people think that the "Bangdao" should have been cast twice. The first time was in the 16th year of King An, when he was listed as a prince. Out of haste, the old model was refined and used for casting, so There are traces of broken edges; the second time was in the 26th year, when the money model was re-engraved and cast in large quantities. This kind of sword coins are all made from stone models and are exquisite. They have always been considered the best among sword coins. [/color][/size]
April’s Blood Jade 2005-10-14 07:04
[size=5][color=Brown]Three-Character Knife
p>"Qifa Hua" is usually 17.8-19 cm long, 2.6-3 cm wide, and weighs 40.8-52.4 grams. It is called the "three-character knife" and is the common legal currency after the founding of Tian Qi. There are also words similar to auspicious words, such as Ji, Xing, Da, etc. The three-character knife has been in circulation for a long time and has a very wide area. It is the most common type of knife and has no weight loss. It is the most stable currency.
"The legalization of Jiemo" is called the "Five-Character Sword". Jiemo, also known as Jimo, was originally a place name, Qiyi, in the southeast of Pingdu, Shandong today. During the Jiang Qi era, it had always been an independent country. It was annexed by the Qi State at the end of the Spring and Autumn Period. The son of the Hou Tian family sought the country and received the support of Jimo Yi, so he was able to issue his own coins under the rule of the Tian family. It is still unclear when Jimo began to use knife coins. Perhaps this strange coin was already used when Jimo became independent. There are two kinds of "Jimo knives" handed down from ancient times. The large one is 17 cm long, 2.7-3.0 cm wide and weighs 51-61 grams. The small ones are 14-16 cm long, 2.0-2.3 cm wide, weigh 33-35.5 g, and are of a later date. They are all very finely made, and the broken edges are definitely not caused by weight loss. They are obviously made at the same time in a systematic manner. This is the style of the Spring and Autumn Period. At the same time, these two types of knife backs do not have three horizontal and vertical inscriptions, but large seal characters. The style is very similar to the pointed-head knife, and the production time is earlier than the three horizontal and vertical inscriptions on the back and "Qi Zhi Fa Hua". Therefore, some people believe that Jimo implemented regulatory economic policies earlier than the Tian family, and later applied their experience to Qiyi. At the same time, the pattern of "Jimo Dao" also used the Qiyi style, and small coins were discontinued soon after it was put into use. Among the "Jimo swords" there is one with the words "Pifeng" and "Anbang" on the back, which is considered to be a commemorative coin minted when King Xiang returned to the country (279 BC).
"Anyang's Fahua" is commonly known as "Anyang Sword", also known as "Five-Character Sword". The characters are slightly thicker than "Qi's Fahua", with broken edges. It is about 18.5 cm long and wide. 2.8-2.9 cm, weight 44.5-50 grams, there are also small ones. Of course, there is no problem with Anyang being the name of the city, but there are different opinions on where it belongs in Qi State. The earliest people said that it was the "Ange" called "Ange" in "Zuo Zhuan", which was located near Jinan, Shandong today. Some people also say that it was east of today's Caoxian County. According to historical records, the Duanyang Anyang knife passed down from generation to generation did not come from this place. In addition, some people think that Anyang is near today's Ju County, Shandong Province. Ju County has always been an important military area, and the Anyang sword should come from here. Scholars have always attached great importance to this statement. According to historical records, in the 14th year of King Weilie (412 BC), Tian Bai occupied this place on behalf of Ju. He may have cast money in Anyang and used it in Ju to expand his power. Twenty-six years later, his son Tian He made the "Bang Dao". "Anyang Dao" and "Jimo Dao" were remade at the same time, using the paradigm of continuous fate.
In short, the swords and coins of Qi are made of fine materials and beautifully made. Among them, the "Bang Dao" is particularly valuable. It has long been regarded as an "auspicious charm" by the world. It is believed that people who collect such swords and coins can have peace all year round. . Qi's knife coins are also second to none among the "knife coins" of various countries. [/color][/size]
April’s Blood Jade 2005-10-14 07:05
[size=5][color=Brown]Zhao Dao
The State of Zhao was one of the Three Jins, and the currency used was mainly "cloth money". The monetary and economic relationship between Zhao and Yan was relatively deep, so Zhao also minted sword coins in Handan, the capital, and major cities. During the time of Xun Kuang (approximately 313 BC - 238 BC), the State of Zhao had become a country where swords and cloth were used in parallel. In Xun Kuang's article "Fu Guo", it was said that "thick swords and cloth are used to collect the wealth, and those who value the fields are the most important." It is said that taxation is a strange food, and levy in Gouguan City is difficult."
Zhao State cast sword coins earlier than Yan State, let alone Qi State.
The State of Zhao initially set its capital in Jinyang, and later moved to Handan. Due to its geographical relationship, industry and commerce were extremely developed, and its currency minting exceeded that of other countries. More than half of the ancient coins of the Eastern Zhou Dynasty handed down from generation to generation came from the State of Zhao. You can imagine the grand occasion at that time. Zhao's monetary policy seems to be divided into two stages. When the government was in Jinyang, it imitated the state of Wei in implementing a regulated economy and issued Yibu to regulate the market. At that time, "Yibu" was the main currency and "Jianzuobu" was the auxiliary currency. Yi cloth is cast by the government, while "jianzu cloth" is cast by the people. In order to make huge profits, private factories also minted other types of coins in addition to pointed-foot cloth, either selling them to foreigners or supplying them to international traders. Therefore, Zhao produced coins of various styles in various countries. After the government moved to Handan, although the national strength was not as strong as before, the business prosperity was greater than before. The government seems to have relaxed its management standards and switched to a free trade policy. It no longer promotes Yibu. It has changed to a monetary policy based on "knife coins" and "Jianzubu" as a supplement. It is still minted and used by the private sector without interference. The knife coins minted at this time did not control the price, but were a large amount of ordinary money. Or there are five pieces of cloth for one piece of square, or ten pieces of money for one piece of yuan. At that time, the government was very cautious in issuing it, and judging from the number of Zhao knives unearthed now, it was also very successful. There are not many "Zhao Dao" handed down at present, and the weight loss phenomenon is not very obvious. It is the same size as the "Yan Dao" and cannot be compared with the "Qi Dao".
"Zhao Dao" is mainly "Gandan Dao". Gandan is Handan. The head of Zhao Dao is slightly rounded and blunt, the back is slightly curved, the blade is slightly concave, the handle has two ridges, the ring is oval, and the ring hole is small. Generally it can be divided into two types: large and small. The larger one is 13.8-14 cm long, 1.5 cm wide, and weighs about 8.8 grams. Most of them have plain text on the back, but there are also characters such as "田" and numbers. The characters and outer edges are relatively thin. The material is bronze, which is finely refined and highly resistant. There are not many of these sword coins. The reason may be that the casting industry stopped soon. The smaller one is shorter, narrower and thinner. The back of the knife is straight, the blade is slightly concave and contoured, the handle also has two ridges, the bottom of the handle is flat, the hole is oval, the length is 12.5 cm, the head is 1.3 cm wide, and it weighs more than 3.5 grams. . Some of the Handan swords are "gandan", with a total length of 13.8 cm, a head width of 1.6 cm, and a weight of 8.2 grams. According to Zhao Yu, the capital was moved to Handan in the first year of Jinghou (386 BC), and in the 22nd year of Chenghou (353 BC), Wei State captured Handan. The foundry of the Handan knife may have been destroyed later, so the "white man's knife" was changed. The "White Man's Knife" is slightly lighter and smaller than the Handan Knife. The blade is straight and not curved, and the ring is oval. The coin names on the front are "White Man", "White Man", "White", etc. This kind of money was minted in Bai Renyi, the white people are Bai Ren, north of Handan, in the Tangshan area of ????now Hebei Province. It belonged to Jin in the Spring and Autumn Period and returned to Zhao during the Warring States Period. There are three forms of this kind of knife: 1. The handle has two ridges, the handle ring is oval, flat bottom, and has an outline. The back is mostly plain. There are also numbers such as one, five, six, ten, and twenty-one, and there are also Hua, Qiu and other single characters, 13.4 cm long, 1.5 cm wide at the head of the knife, and weighing 7.5 grams. 2. The head of the knife is flat and slanted, the handle and ring are the same as the former, 13.1 cm long, 1.3 cm wide at the head, and 6.7 grams in weight. They are neatly cast, and there are only two types of whites and whites. 3. The length is 13 centimeters, the head is 1 centimeter wide, the handle and ring are triangular, and the perforation is an isosceles triangle. There is the word "白" on the face, and some have the word "化" on it. There is no outline on the face and back. Some are white. The inscriptions on the back of the knife include knife, factory, fish, text, field, Yi and numbers, etc. The characters and the outer edge are flat, and the casting and copper are very exquisite. However, the weight loss is serious, so the size and severity are uneven. In fact, this kind of knife has a relatively long circulation time, and its weight loss is inevitable and is by no means a one-time effort. The heads of the above two coins are convex and arc-shaped, so they are also called "round-headed swords".
There is another type of "Zhao Dao" called "Pingshou Dao" which comes from Linyi. Lin and Lishi are located in the northern part of Zhao State, adjacent to the Yan, Qin and Rong people. It is not only a military center of Zhao State, a famous industrial and commercial port, but also one of the important coinage centers. The coins it produces include "pointed foot cloth", "square foot cloth", "round foot cloth", "circle money" and "knife coin". Zhao State started minting coins in the middle of the Spring and Autumn Period. Its craftsmanship has always been at the top, and all kinds of coins produced are very exquisite.
The third type of Zhao Guo's knife coins is the "small straight knife", which is a very small knife coin. Its characteristics are different from the sword coins of Qi and Yan. It is short and small, with a straight blade with almost no arcs and no chimes. The head of the sword is oval, the handle has no ridges, there is no writing on the back, and the production is relatively simple. It is rough, but the inscription on the front is overall thick and the calligraphy is exquisite. They are generally 9-10 cm long, 1 cm wide, and weigh about 6 grams. The shortest one is only 7 cm. There are four types of facial expressions: Jinhua, Jinban, Jinyanghua, and Jinyang Xinhua. Its casting date may be at the same time as the Handan Dao and the Baibai Dao. Jinyang was occupied by Qin in the 320th year of King Xiaocheng (246 BC). During the Spring and Autumn Period, it was Jinyang City. During the Warring States Period, it returned to Zhao. After moving the capital to Handan, this kind of knife coin was minted three times. The number should not be less than that of Gandan and Baibai. However, it is very rare to be unearthed and passed down. It is rare to see it.
Some people interpret the word "hua" in "straight knife" as the word "dagger" in dagger, thinking that "dagger" is commonly used as a currency. The value of Jinban's "small straight knife" is half of that of Jinyanghua, which means "half-hua". Jinyang Xinhua small straight knife has been analyzed by some people as referring to Jinyanghua, indicating that it is divided into old and new. Some people also think that the new character indicates a new form of currency, in order to distinguish it from the "cloth currency" popular in Zhao State.
The four types of small straight knives are the same, are they cast in the same place?
Qian scholars and most numismatic dictionaries generally believe that the four types of small straight knives were made by Jin, which belonged to Zhao during the Warring States Period. Some believe that they were mostly popular in the Zhangshui and Hutuo river basins adjacent to Yan. During the Warring States Period, Zhao State was one of the areas where cloth coins circulated, just like Yan State was one of the areas where sword coins circulated. By the middle and late Warring States Period, the circulation area of ??cloth coins and knife coins had expanded significantly, and later a parallel circulation area for knives and cloth coins was formed. As the economic exchanges between the vassal states continued to strengthen in order to adapt to the development of the commodity economy, a large number of cloth coins were minted in some important cities of Han, Wei and Zhao, and a large number of bright knives were also minted in the Yan Kingdom. When the State of Zhao was conducting trade with the State of Yan, a large amount of cloth coins flowed to the State of Yan. Influenced by the knife and coin system of the State of Yan, it was natural that some or a small number of "knife coins" with their own unique shapes were cast in imitation of the Yan State. Some scholars believe that Jinyanghua should be called "忁阳化", which refers to Jishui, in the Shenmu area of ??Shaanxi. In recent years, someone discovered that a Jinyang small straight knife came from Mizhi County, Shaanxi Province, and another "Jinhua small straight knife" came from Wubao County, northern Shaanxi. The latter two places are not far from the sacred tree. Therefore, some people think that Jinyanghua is "Qiyanghua". It is certain that all four kinds of "small straight knives" were cast in Zhao State, but the place of casting is still unclear. [/color][/size]
April’s Blood Jade 2005-10-14 07:06
[size=5][color=Brown]Ying Yan
Our country is the first country in the world to use gold. Dragon decorations made of gold leaves have been found in tombs of the Shang Dynasty. By the Warring States Period, gold had developed into one of the important currencies.
Gold in ancient my country was mainly produced in the State of Chu. There is a kind of gold plate (plate) with inscriptions in the Chu State. Most of these gold plates are square and a few are round. There are several small squares printed on them with copper seals, which look like turtle shells. The complete weight is about one pound, and the gold content is generally more than 90%. The inscriptions on the gold plate include Ying Yuan, Chen Yuan, Zhuan Yuan, Ying, Qin Jin, Ge Yuan, Lu Jin and so on. These gold plates with the character "爰" are customarily called "Yanjin" or "Yinzijin". "Yuanjin" has shape, inscription and weight. It is a weighing currency of Chu State.
"Yanjin" can be found in present-day Hubei, Anhui, Shaanxi, Henan, Jiangsu, Shandong and other places, especially "Yingyuan". "Ying" is the name of the capital of Chu, and "爰" is the unit of currency weight. [/color][/size]
April’s Blood Jade 2005-10-14 07:07
[size=5][color=Brown]圜钱
"Wan Qian" is a type of round copper currency cast 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 systems of copper coinage in the Pre-Qin Dynasty of my country and is also the main It is the coinage form of Qin State. 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.
Round money evolved from jade and ancient spinning wheels. Wan Qian follows the proper names of bi and ring to refer to its shape. "Erya·Shiqi": "The jade is called a jade if it is as good as the flesh. The jade is as good as the hole. The jade is as good as the ring." "Good" refers to the jade and the perforation in the middle of the ring, and "flesh" refers to the perforation. The entity between the contours. The perforation of the ring coin is also called good, and the entity between the perforation and the outline is also called "meat". It can be seen that the relationship between the ring coin and the jade bi is connected.
Based on the different monetary units of the round coins, they can be divided into three major categories: 1. Qin's round coins with "liang" as the unit; 2. liang with "yi" as the unit. Wan coins from the Zhou and Sanjin areas; third, Qi and Yan Wan coins named after the traditional currency unit "dao".
The Anzang money bureau is the earliest among the Wan coins discovered so far, with a diameter of 3 cm and a perforation of about 0.8 cm. The material is bronze, and the clay model is not polished. The word "Anzang" is the name of a place. The exact location is not known now. This city once had an empty head cloth, and the writing and calligraphy were not as neat as this money. Because there are not many discoveries, it is impossible to study this ancient round coin in detail. This coin has small holes and was circulated from the early Eastern Zhou Dynasty to the mid-Spring and Autumn Period. The circulation area may be in areas close to the Yellow River in Henan and Shanxi.
There is also "Jiyin money". Jiyin is a place name located in Weiyi, Ronghe County, Shanxi Province today. Jiyin money has been circulating for the longest time and has changed the most among the Qin Dynasty's round money. The original Jiyin money was more than 37 centimeters in diameter, weighed 9 grams, and had larger perforations, about 1 centimeter or more. The font is very neat, thin and sleek. Jiyin is located between Chu, Qi, Wei, Zhao, Wei and other countries. Its commerce is very developed and it is the center of the Eastern economy. [/color][/size]
April’s Blood Jade 2005-10-14 07:09
[size=5][color=Brown]*** words, Yuanzi Wan Qian
"***tun Chijin" is a round hole coin marked with the name of the place where it was minted, or with the cloth coin value unit added. However, the shape of the coin is made in the Qin Dynasty and can be divided into: 1. , were cast by the Wei State, and some were cast by the Zhou Dynasty; 2. The local coins that appeared in the cities in the Buqian area occupied by the Qin Dynasty.
The most common characteristics of the coins minted by the Wei State are small perforations, generally around 0.7 cm, large shapes, generally no less than 4 cm, no outline, plain back, no writing, and shape. Ancient and clumsy, the facial expressions often have one character, and some have four characters, such as Yuan (west of Yuanqu, Shanxi, Wei Yi in the Warring States Period), *** (Huixian, Henan, Wei Yi in the Warring States Period), Tun Chijin (northeast of Yanchi, Shanxi, Wei County in the Warring States Period) Yi) and other round coins are all coins minted by the Wei State, and they are also new coins that appeared in Wei under the influence of Qin coins.
The most common feature of round hole coins is that the perforation is large, about 0.9-1.4 cm, the diameter of the coin is 3.2-3.6 cm, the casting is neat, and some have outer shells. The outline has place names cast on the face, most of which are the cities of Zhao and Wei occupied by the Qin State.
Lin and Lishi were both territories of Zhao State during the Warring States Period. Lishi is today's Lishi County in Shanxi Province, and Lin is in the west of today's Lishi County, also known as Linyang Town. The two places are very close to each other, and Zhao minted Ji's round coins in both places.
Wan Qian is a bronze coin produced in the middle and late Warring States Period, and is a progressive form of coinage. The earliest round money was produced in Wei State, which had a relatively advanced political and economic system. For example, the characters "垣" and "***" are written on the face. This form of currency is easier to carry than "cloth coins" and "knife coins", and is also easier to accept each other, which meets the needs of the development of commodity exchange. Its emergence led to a new coinage system with the rise of coins, which was imitated by various countries during the Warring States Period.
First, Zhao and Qin imitated casting, and then