Lot 1966

Description

China, Western Han dynasty, made c.10 B.C - 50 A.D., clay "gold cake or pottery cake" money (5), 55-58mm in diameter, (40.80, 50.36, 49.94, 60.45, 74.26 g), all featuring different designs (one illustrated); together with a bronze hand clasting a rock as a weapon (164.52 g) (illustrated). Very fine and 'cakes' scarce. (6)

Ex Patrick J.O'Rourke Collection and from Monetarium Sale No.1 18th April 2008 (lot 143) some others from Singapore Coin Auction No.30, March 2000 (lot 9).

These pieces are clay funerary "gold cake" money, dating to the Western Han dynasty (206 B.C. - 9 A.D.) or slightly later. During the early Western Han dynasty, the gold plate money was no longer manufactured. Instead, slabs of gold in shape of little round "cakes" with various patterns on them were produced in the regions around the Yellow river. Clay copies of these cakes were also produced, and these probably had some ceremonial or funerary use. They used to be extremely rare until recently when a number of them appeared on the market. The hand broken off from an old bronze statue probably comes from about the same time.