Pitt Rivers Museum Anthropology and World Archaology

 

Asia

 

Coins

China

 

Collected by Henry Balfour

Given to the Museum in 1896

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Coins, China

Early Chinese coins were in the form of tools, usually knives or spades. From the third century BC these forms were replaced by coins that were round with a square central hole. The circular outline of these coins is said to represent heaven, with the square centre representing earth. The central hole also allowed the coins to be strung together. It is not known how old these coins are.

View database record 1896.29.27-.30