China - Dynasties。ZHOU: Anonymous, 1000-220 BC, cowrie money, LOT of 21 cowrie (bèi) money, black stone with nice tan patination (1), white jade with nice tan patination (1), gold plated bronze cowrie with vertical slit, encrusted (1), bronze cowrie with vertical slit, encrusted (3, one broken), bronze cowrie with curved slit, very light encrustation (8), Guilian Qian (ghost face) type (3), Ge Liu Zhu (also read as Sui Tu Lei) type (3), plus interesting 55.5mm "ring" with single archaic character, most are better than usual quality, <U>plus </U>Qarakhanid copper coins (2) and a Roman bronze of Gallienus with panther reverse (1), retail value $1120, lot of 24 coins, ex Zhao Quanzhi Collection. 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 the need for "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, mother of pearl, jade, clay, bronze, and even silver and bronze with gold plating. Whether imitations were burial money or not is difficult to tell. This could very well be the case with the pottery, bone and stone, but the cast bronze imitations were likely used as money.
