Money isn't always "coin shaped" as this eclectic pile of "coins" illustrates. Can you identify the "coins" in this picture? (there are 9 in total) What other examples of "coins that don't fit the mold" can we find from the CoinTalk community? Post your unusual shaped money.
Far left is Chinese spade money..... right? My only other guess would be Celtic bar money for the two elongated oval ones, but I'm pretty sure that's not correct (bar money was more primitive than that). Not even a guess for the rest, but I'm terribly interested. This kind of stuff is really neat!
You can see some answers here: https://www.sullacoins.com/post/out-of-my-comfort-zone. FYI : wrong continent for the elongated oval "coins"
Looks like a Tiger Tongue/ Canoe money from Thialand /laos and the round one in forground, A Pig mouthed Tok from Siam.
North-western U.S.Ivory fish token. 2½ inches long. Chinese Tally Sticks. made from bone. approx 3x¼ inches.
You have two tiger tongue money from Laos/Thailand, one ching money that weighs 4 baht from Lanna, (most likely Chieng Mai or Chieng Sen), a tak nan from Thailand, a hoe money issued under Wang Mang, and 3 pieces of tin money from Malaysia. My wife is Thai so I have an extensive collection of Thai issues. You are missing lead/tin Elephant coins, pod duang "bullet money", and an example of "pig mouth" money from Thailand otherwise a nice representative collection from there.
Wonderful examples! Thanks, @medoraman - you have a few right and missed one continent. I haven't heard the name "pig mouth" is this the same as "tamlung tok"? Also this one probably not photographed for easy identification: (Rama IV 1851-68)
No, pig mouth is Lanna coin of higher quality silver with bulge on one side, (frequently broken), and the underside the same golden color as tak nan but an opening like a mouth. Sorry, the angle of the pod duang reminded me of a Malaysian tin money piece i own. I am guessing one of the other two pieces is African then. Its tough since so many cultures made pieces so similar. How about an Incan or Aztec hoe money as well? Incan ones are tough, I bought a group lot of them 12 years ago and have never seen any others for sale.
I have a couple from China (I'm fortuitously working on cataloguing my Chinese collection right now). First, another spade coin, but different from the one @Sulla80 shows. Mine is from the Warring States period (c. 350- 250 BCE), State of Liang: And an odd-shaped 4 zhu from the North and South Dynasties period (420- 589 CE), basically a small square with a handle for hanging:
The Coin Museum in Bangkok has an interesting display of all the kinds of "money" used throughout history. They call one of those in the OP image "hoy money." http://coinmuseum.treasury.go.th/en/news_view.php?nid=141
Larin Hairpin Money Bijapur India 1068-1083 AH 1657-1672 AD Japan 1 Shu Gin Magadha India ~346 BC copy Trachy, Billon Theodore of Thessalonica, 1224-1230 1785 Octagonal Jeton Token France Sweden 4 Daler Copper Plate Money, 1756 (1930g)
Excellent stuff - I especially like the "hairpin money" & copper plate money! Fun! What are those? are they intended to be broken apart?
Here's a link to a thread I wrote when I bought the piece. Explains everything about it in detail: https://www.cointalk.com/threads/the-moroccan-cast-money-tree.359648/
