2895

ZHOU: LOT of 45 items

Currency:USD Category:Coins & Paper Money / Chinese Coins - Group Lots Start Price:170.00 USD Estimated At:200.00 - 300.00 USD
ZHOU: LOT of 45 items
SOLD
325.00USD+ (65.00) buyer's premium + applicable fees & taxes.
This item SOLD at 2022 Jan 23 @ 14:29UTC-8 : PST/AKDT
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ZHOU: LOT of 45 items, imitation 'cowrie shell' money including pieces made from bone, stone and clay, a very interesting study lot with much variety, average quality examples, retail value $500, lot of 45 items. Cowrie shells, in Chinese called bèi, were used as money probably since around 2000 BC, from the Shang dynasty up through the Zhou dynasty. The cowries were an intelligent solution to make "small money" because they were collected in seas far south of China and only kings could afford to import them. Furthermore natural shells were impossible to counterfeit. Later imitations were made of various materials: bone, stone, jade, clay, bronze, and even silver and bronze with gold plating.