Ceremonial 9-impression clay “gold block money”, ca.300-220 BC, late-Warring States, China

Nice impressions, archaic character enclosed in a square (度 Du (?), retrograde) / Blank. 62x60 mm, ca.300-220 BC. Hartill -; The First round coins of China #-.

Chu states used gold money in blocks (flat gold ingots, stamped with a character, usually cut into smaller pieces - see Hartill #5.1-5.9). This piece is an extremely rare clay “gold Chu Gold Block Money” from the Warring States’ period Chu State, used for some ceremonial purpose. The inscription on this type is thought to be a somewhat abbreviated retrograde character “du” enclosed in a square cartouche. The reading is uncertain, as a number of strokes are missing, and the reading assumes that the enclosing cartouche is not a part of the character – “du” is an ancient Chinese measure, and it is thought these had some funerary or ceremonial function, being buried at a new house or temple foundation. These are usually found only in the Changsha area in Hunan, the heartland of the former Chu State. They date to the late Warring States to early Western Hand period, ca.250-180 BC. Very rare.