China - Ancient. ZHOU: Spring-Autumn Period, 770-476 BC, AE shield (37.72g), Opitz page-152, Coole page-112, 40x142mm, these archaeological objects are called "Shield Framework" or "Gridiron" money, with a knotted dragon element at each end, a lovely example! VF to EF, ex Charles Opitz Collection. Some older Chinese numismatic works describe these as a form of primitive money, but there is no evidence to support such a claim. These are still rarely encountered ancient artifacts.
