Rare square shoulder hollow-handle spade with Gao, States of Liang or Jin, Eastern Shaanxi, c.650-400 BC, China. 

Small character 高 Gāo (“high” or “superior”) / Three vertical lines. 95mm long, 33.1 grams. Hartill 2.32. 

Very large and rare certified spade, with rarely encountered character. With repairs on the head (very difficult to see), but better than normal condition for the square shoulder spades.

Spade coins were among the earliest forms of Chinese money, used mainly during the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods (c. 7th–3rd centuries BC). Cast in bronze and shaped like agricultural spades, they evolved from practical tools into a circulating currency. Early hollow-handled types were followed by flat spades bearing inscriptions naming mints, cities, or denominations. Spade coinage reflects the regional nature of early Chinese economies and the transition from barter and tool money to standardized coinage.