Hollow-handled spade-money (1) at The British Museum, London

The earliest money in China was shaped like tools, including spades and knives. These forms were possible because coins were cast in moulds. Spade money reflected the shape of real agricultural tools, with the hollow handle originally being the socket for a wooden handle. These spades were made to standard sizes for use as money. During the Warring States period (475-221 BC), the various states used different forms of spade money. There were several weight systems which were reflected on the inscriptions on the currency. Jin was a majorstate during the middle part of the Zhou dynasty, based near the center of what was then China, on the lands attributed to the legendary Xia dynasty: the southern part of modern Shanxi. Although it grew in power during the Spring and Autumn period, its aristocratic structure saw it break apart when the duke lost power to his nobles. In 453 BCE, Jin was split into three successor states: Han, Zhao and Wei. The Partition of Jin marks the end of the Spring and Autumn Period and the beginning of the Warring States period. (Credit; Wikipedia) This object is part of Scan The World. Scan the World is a non-profit initiative introduced by MyMiniFactory, through which we are creating a digital archive of fully 3D printable sculptures, artworks and landmarks from across the globe for the public to access for free. Scan the World is an open source, community effort, if you have interesting items around you and would like to contribute, email [e-mail] to find out how you can help.Scanned : Photogrammetry (Processed using Agisoft PhotoScan)中国最早的货币形制模仿生产工具，涵盖铲形币与刀币。此类形制得以实现，源于钱币采用范铸工艺制作。铲形币的造型源自真实农具，其中空的銎部原本是安装木柄的榫孔。这类铲币被统一规格以作为货币流通。战国时期（公元前475年—公元前221年），各诸侯国通行不同形制的铲形币，钱币铭文上标注有多种重量体系，以对应不同的计量标准。 晋国是周王朝中期的重要诸侯国，其疆域位于当时中国的核心区域，即传说中的夏朝故地——今山西省南部。尽管晋国在春秋时期国力日益强盛，但由于其贵族分权的政治体制，当国君权力旁落于卿大夫之手后，国家最终解体。公元前453年，晋国被韩、赵、魏三家卿大夫瓜分，史称“三家分晋”。这一事件标志着春秋时期的终结与战国时期的开端。（来源：维基百科） 本藏品隶属于“扫描世界”（Scan The World）项目。“扫描世界”是MyMiniFactory推出的非营利性倡议，旨在打造覆盖全球的可免费获取的3D打印雕塑、艺术品与地标建筑数字档案库。该项目为开源社区协作项目，若您身边有符合要求的藏品并希望参与贡献，可发送邮件至[e-mail]了解参与方式。扫描方式：摄影测量法（使用Agisoft PhotoScan软件处理）