I just got this one in the mail. I paid more than I have for ANY Chinese coin! (Only $30.00, lol) These are very tough, many many counterfeits. But this ones from an old collection and a trusted dealer, so I'm okay with it. State of Zhao, Lin mint 350-250 BC AE Spade money – 27mm x 45mm Hartill 3.331 Ex C. B. Dodge Collection From the "dark ages" of Chinese history, after the fall of the Zhou Kingdom, and before the first true emperor. China was divided between a number of small, feudal kingdoms almost analogous to the warlords of the 1920's and 30's. Zhao was, for a time, one of the most powerful of these feudal states. On the northern border, they rose to this power after adopting the military technology and tactics of the barbarian Xiongnu. These spade coins circulated alongside knife coins and early circular cash.
History you can hold in your hand An interesting piece, indeed, and all the more so as it is likely to be genuine. Of course, I have the usual references, but for the history of China, I found JOHN KING FAIRBANK to be the most accessible and reliable. Naturally, his "orthodox" views, however intended as objective, have come under scrutiny and criticism ... and you can get bogged down in all of that. For just keeping the chronology straight, though, Fairbank is easy to find and easy to read and assumed to be accurate.
With all the fakes around, I'd assumed I would never see a real one! Very cool piece of numismatic history!
I'll keep an eye out for it - I'm reading Hucker "China's Imperial Past" for class, it focuses more on the broader themes of history. I could really use something with a good chronological view. And I never thought I'd own one!
