China, Xin Dynasty, Emperor Wang Mang, Spade Money - 14 CE - Imperial China

Includes glass top display box. Origin: Imperial China Authority: Xin Dynasty Ruler: Wang Mang, the sole emperor of the Xin dynasty Material: Bronze Denomination: 25 Huo Quan (equal to 25 smaller bronze coins) Type Number: Hartill 9.30 in Cast Chinese Coins by David Hartill, the standard English language reference work for Chinese numismatics Obverse Design: 貨布 (huo bu, or money spade) written in bronzeware script, vertical line between characters Reverse Design: Blank Size: 57mm x 23mm, 15.3 grams Spade money (Chinese: 布幣 or bù bì) is a rare form of early Chinese proto-money that entered the historical record around 1200 BCE, before the widespread adoption of coins in China. They demonstrate a link between bartering with farming tools and the use of true money, as early forms of spade money were meant to resemble functional tools and even included sockets to be fitted onto wood handles. Gradually though, spade money became thinner, flatter, and less utilitarian, a path