In theory, 1000 cash coins could be exchanged for one tael of silver (approximately 40 grams). If not exactly money, the discs served as an early store of value and object of exchange, which may be why some of the earliest money was patterned after their shapes.Īnother reason for Chinese cash coins to need a center hole is that they weren’t very valuable, and thus were needed in large quantities to exchange for commodities. These jade discs date back to the Neolithic period, and were used as funerary objects and ritual gifts. So, one reason for the square hole is a practical one: it allows the manufacturer to mass-produce coins by casting and file down any defects efficiently.Īnother reason Chinese coins have holes (though not necessarily square ones) is their resemblance to jade bi discs. If the coins had used a round hole and rod, they would tend to rotate freely out of position and it would be impossible to file down all the coins evenly at the same time. To smooth out the edge of the metal, the coins are placed on a long square rod and filed around the perimeter until the edges are smooth. The stalk of the coin tree also leaves an uneven spot on the perimeter of the coin (see the 2 o’clock/10 o’clock position of the lefthand coin above) where it was removed. Any excess metal left between the two sides of the cast produces thin bits of unwanted material at the edge called flash. Each coin would then be separated from the “tree” to be used individually.Ĭasting has a few characteristic defects it tends to produce. The coins would be connected by metal rods from the casting channels, which would look like a coin “ tree” when removed (or to my eye, like a stalk of Brussels sprouts). Multiple layers could be cast at a time, and multiple coins in each layer. A reverse image of the coin would be carved out of surfaces of stone or clay, and liquid bronze or copper would be poured in to cast the coin. Chinese coins, however, were generally made by casting. Many ancient coins were made by hammering. ![]() (The character for “shell” bèi 貝 is also the radical for many Chinese characters involving money, including buy 買, sell 賣, goods 貨, fee 費, and peddler 販.) Currency of some form or another predates the copper coin in China by a long time, with one of the earliest examples being cowry shells. ![]() Chinese “cash” type copper coins were issued for over 2000 years, from the Warring States Period to the very beginning of the Republic of China.
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