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<p>[QUOTE=&quot;TypeCoin971793, post: 2609540, member: 78244&quot;]I just made my first purchase of the year! I had originally planned to buy this in December, but a delay in the arrival of a check pushed things back a bit. </p><p><br /></p><p>Prior to the flat-footed and pointed-foot spades that we all know and love, there existed a species of spades called arched-feet because the crotch of the spade is arched. (The Georgia Tech Band would now be giving a long, sarcastic OOOOOOOOOOHHHHHH.....). These are sometimes called &quot;Heavy Spades&quot; because they are more robust and have more metal than the other flat-handled spades. (OOOOOOOOOOHHHHHH.....) Almost all, if not all of this type, are attributed to the State of Liang and are said to have been cast between 425-344 BC because that is when Liang was in its height of power. The distinct legs suggest that these directly evolved from the hollow-handled spades with pointed shoulders and feet (pictured at the end), adopting the flat handle for ease of transport and commerce. If this is true, then it is likely that this variety of hollow-handled spades were the latest in the evolution and represent the transition between hollow-handle and flat-handle.</p><p><br /></p><p>Also interesting is that the arch-foot spades are the first coins in China (and only spades) to consistently have a denomination. These were denominated in <i>Jin</i>, which was equivalent to the Chinese ounce, the <i>Liang</i>. An ounce had 24 <i>Zhu</i>. Judging from Zhou weights, a <i>Zhu</i> was supposed to weigh the equivalent of 0.65g. However, in practice (or due to depreciation during the Warring States Period) the <i>Zhu</i> used for coinage averaged about 0.5g. The arch-foot spades were denominated in 1/2, 1, 2, and 3 <i>Jin</i> or 12, 24, 48, and 72 <i>Zhu</i>. Why these are denominated and not others is unknown, but it may be because the state of Zhou had recently fallen and the Warring States period had begun, necesitating a denominated coin for interstate commerce.</p><p><br /></p><p>This particular spade is called a &quot;Special Spade&quot; of Liang because of the complexity of its inscription. There are four denominations for these, 1/2 <i>Jin</i>, 1 &quot;Old&quot; <i>Jin</i>, 1 &quot;New&quot; <i>Jin</i>, and 2 <i>Jin</i>. This coin is the more-desireable 2-<i>Jin</i> denomination. Though not fully agreed-upon, the most plausible inscription is <i>Liang Chong Jin Wu Dang Lie Shi Er</i> or &quot;Liang Money to be Used as 5 <i>Jin</i> and Equal to 12 <i>Lie</i>. It is interesting to note how there seems to be a currency conversion in the inscription. What exactly a <i>Lie</i> is is unknown, and all known records of a <i>Lie</i> do not corroborate with the weight of this coin. The problem with this decipherment is that this coin is denominated 5 <i>Jin</i>, even though it weighs 2 <i>Jin</i>. One can argue that this is a fiduciary and inflated issue, but that theory is unsubstantiated because all of the other coins in this type weigh consistently with their denomination.</p><p><br /></p><p>This coin is pretty rare. I had been wanting an example of this type for about 4 years and decided that I would never get one. I even bought a counterfeit for my collection to fill the hole. Then this one popped up for half the going rate, so I watched it until I bought it. I am pretty sure it is genuine, but I won&#039;t be absolutely sure until I have it in hand. Everything I have bought from this seller has been genuine, but I have seen some fakes in his inventory.</p><p><br /></p><p>Arch-Foot Spade (ca 430-300 BC)</p><p>Obverse: <i>Liang Chong Jin Wu Dang Lie Shi Er</i></p><p>Reverse: Blank</p><p>H-3.48</p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]570673[/ATTACH] </p><p><br /></p><p>As promised, here is this one:</p><p><br /></p><p>Hollow-Handled Spade (ca 500-400 BC)</p><p>Obverse: Blank</p><p>Reverse: Blank</p><p>H-2.183 (though same size as H-2.186)</p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]570675[/ATTACH][/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

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