ZHOU: Anonymous, 1000-700 BC, AE cowrie (1.14g), H-1.3, bronze imitation cowrie shell money, a lovely quality example! VF. 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.
