Good day! In this post, I would like to tell you about the ancient Chinese coins of the Chu state, using examples from my own collection.

The first image shows coins known as "Ant Nose money" (Yi Bi Qian) or "Ghost Face money" (Gui Lian Qian). These coins circulated in the State of Chu during the Warring States period (475–221 BC). In essence, they are degraded bronze imitations of cowrie shells, which had served as pseudo-money since the Shang Dynasty. Initially, natural cowries were used, but later people began creating imitations out of bronze, silver, bone, other shells, jade, stone, and clay (the latter being funeral money rather than actual legal tender).

These "Ant Nose" coins very often feature inscriptions. There are only 3 varieties in my collection.

1A is one of the most common variants. There is no exact decipherment of its character, but there are suggestions that it could be the character 晋 (Jin), 貝 (Bei), or 巽 (Xun). There is also a theory that this character deciphers as "Dang Ban Liang" (当半两), representing a denomination of 1/2 liang.

The inscriptions on 1B and 1C are likely deciphered as 各六朱 (Ge Liu Zhu), which corresponds to a denomination of 6 Zhu.

Variety 1D features the same character as 1A, with the sole difference being that this character is present on both sides. Unlike the first one, this variant is quite rare, though honestly, I don't know exactly how rare it is.

The metrology of these coins can vary significantly. The size of my specimens ranges from 18 to 21 mm, and the weight is between 2.17 and 2.8 grams. However, it is worth noting that the weight can be both lower and higher; for instance, I have seen specimens weighing less than 1 gram. Furthermore, there are examples in the Zeno database with weights exceeding 10 grams, but these are most likely burial objects rather than circulating currency.

Regarding the cost of these coins: I acquired 1A for $40; it is in very fine condition and certified by a reputable grading company from China. I bought 1B and 1C as a set for $13. The last specimen, despite being one of the rarest, cost me only $10.

I hope you enjoyed this post! Please share your thoughts in the comments.

P.S. Initially, I wanted to include other types of coins from different dynasties in this post, but the text for this single type turned out to be quite large on its own.

Ancient Chinese Coins of the Chu State