Primal Trek

On November 25, 2012, a very rare coin from the Warring States period  (475-221 BC) was sold at auction by the Beijing ChengXuan Auctions Co., Ltd (北京诚轩拍卖有限公司).

The coin sold for US$591,000 (RMB 3,680,000) which set a new world record for an ancient Chinese coin.

Three Hole Spade (san kong bu)

The coin, shown at the left, is known as a “three hole spade” (san kong bu 三孔布) which is a type of money that evolved from an ancient farming implement similar to a shovel.  While similar forms of spade money with a round “handle”, round “shoulders” and “round” feet were produced by several of the Warring States, this particular type of spade money is quite distinctive because it has “three holes” with one each in the “head” and the two “feet”.

Three hole spades are so rare that it is unlikely that you will ever see an authentic piece outside of a museum.

Many are one-of-a-kind with some varieties being only fragments.

The National Museum of China in Beijing and the Shanghai Museum have several specimens.  The Bank of Japan Currency Museum in Tokyo also has an outstanding collection.

Most of the other known examples are in the hands of private collectors outside of China.

This particular three hole spade has a very well-documented provenance.

Its first documented appearance was about 200 years ago when it became part of the collection of Zhang Tingji (张廷济), a famous artist and epigrapher (1768-1848) of the Qing Dynasty.  A rubbing of this specific coin appeared in his “Ancient Coin Rubbings” (古泉拓本) which made it the first three hole spade to ever appear in publication.

During the Republican era (1912-1949), the coin was obtained by the famous Chinese coin collector Zhang Shuxun (张叔驯) and the rubbing of this coin has appeared in almost every Chinese coin catalog published since then.

The Chinese characters on the obverse side are xia qu yang (下邲阳).  Xia qu yang is believed to have been a city located in what is now Ningjin Prefecture (宁晋县) in Hebei Province (河北省).

Reverse side of Three Hole Spade

The inscription on the reverse side of the coin is believed to be shi qi liang (十七两). The shi qi, written on the handle, translates as “17” and the denomination of the coin is one liang or “tael”.

Three hole spades come in two sizes: the “large” ones are about 7.2 cm in length, 3.8 cm in width and weigh approximately 15.8 grams.

The “small” three hole spades, which have a denomination of half liang (12 zhu (朱)), are about 5.2 cm in length, 2.7 cm in width and weigh approximately 8.2 grams.

This particular spade has a length of 7.35 cm, a width of 3.7 cm and a weight of 13.4 grams.

There is some controversy as to which state actually cast these coins.  They are believed to have circulated as money in what is now eastern Shanxi and Hebei during the end of the Warring States period.  Some experts believe the coins were cast by the State of Zhao (赵).  Others believe it was Zhong Shan (中山).  Still others believe it was the State of Qin (秦).

Based on archaeological digs as well as the names of the cities identified from the inscriptions on these coins, the strongest evidence is that they were cast by the State of Zhao.

Three hole spades are also noted for using the denomination liang (“tael”) and zhu which were the denominations of the coins of the State of Qin.  For this reason, these coins are believed to have been produced in areas under Qin’s influence but prior to the unification of China under the Qin Dynasty in 221 BC.

Based on specimens appearing in coin catalogs dating back to the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), there are believed to be more than ten city names used in the inscriptions and a total of more than thirty varieties of this coin.  Chinese numismatists remain puzzled as to why a state would issue so many varieties in such small quantities.

While there are many very rare and valuable old Chinese coins, this three hole spade, as already mentioned, set a new record for the highest price ever paid for an ancient Chinese coin.

It is a testament as to just how rare these three hole spade coins are that the previous record for the most expensive ancient Chinese coin was another three hole spade.  The inscription on that coin was wu yang (武阳) and it sold in 2010 at the China Guardian Auction for about US$567,000 (RMB 3,528,000).

Now there is a restaurant in Beijing where you can spend ancient Chinese money to buy “donkey burgers” (lurou huoshao 驴肉火烧).

An article in the November 26, 2012 edition of the Beijing Evening News (beijing wanbao 北京晚报) describes a restaurant that sells donkey burgers with the prices denominated in ancient Chinese money.  Donkey burgers are a specialty of Baoding (保定) and Hejian (河间) and consist of chopped donkey meat and vegetables placed between two buns.

A sign hanging in the restaurant states “Money from the last 500 years may be used to buy donkey burgers here”.

This means that old Chinese coins dating back to the Ming (1368-1644) and Qing (1644-1911) dynasties can be used to pay for the sandwiches.

Donkey burgers actually originated during the Ming Dynasty when soldiers had nothing to eat and so killed their horses and put the meat between two buns.

Preparing donkey burgers with price list in ancient Chinese coins hanging on wall

“Little Yan” (小闫), the owner of the restaurant, has a “new” menu hanging on the wall (see photo).  The menu has various old coins and paper money attached and beside each is written how many donkey burgers each will buy.

For example, three common Ming or Qing dynasty “cash coins” (small bronze coins with a square hole in the middle) will buy one donkey burger.

A “one dollar” banknote (一元钞票) with the portrait of Sun Yat-sen (孙中山) issued during the Republic of China (1912-1949) will purchase 10 donkey burgers.

However, a silver dollar minted during the Republic of China era will buy 80 donkey burgers.

Donkey Burgers

“Little Yan” explained that he was poor growing up but still liked to collect old things.  While working for wages in Beijing, he would go to the antique market at the Baoguo Temple (报国寺) to learn the prices of ancient Chinese coins and how to tell authentic coins from the fakes and reproductions.

Even though his “new menu” with ancient money prices has been hanging on the wall for more than a week, “Little Yan” concedes that no one as yet has come in to buy his “authentic” Hejian donkey burgers with old money.

He is not bothered, though.  He admits that he did this for fun because people find it interesting that they can come and buy food with ancient money.  He says that even when people come in but do not want to eat, he is still happy just to discuss ancient Chinese coins with them.

“Little Yan” also has a confession to make.  Although he has genuine ancient Chinese coins in his collection, the specimens he has attached to the price list on the wall are all fakes.

Chinese charms very often resemble Chinese coins.  A number of old Chinese charms are modeled after a coin issued during the reign of Emperor Taizong (太宗 939-997 AD) of the Northern Song Dynasty.  The inscription on the coin was taiping tongbao (太平通宝) which translates as “Currency of the Great Peace”.

Tai Ping Tong Bao charm from Qing Dynasty

At the left is a very interesting example of a Chinese charm cast during the Qing Dynasty (清朝 1644-1911 AD) which has the same inscription taiping tongbao.

There is also a second inscription on this charm. The two Chinese characters at the left and right rim are jixiang (吉祥) which means “good fortune”.  On the reverse side of the charm are the two Chinese characters ruyi (如意), located at the top and bottom rim, which translate as “as you wish”.

These four characters thus comprise the popular expression jixiang ruyi meaning “good fortune according to your wishes”.

If you look closely, you will notice that this charm has a “double rim” (重轮) because in addition to the broad outer rim there is also a thin circular rim surrounding the four character inscription.  This is very unusual for a charm.

It is even more unusual for a charm to have an inscription in a recessed area of the rim, as this one does.

It is even rare for a Chinese coin to display an inscription in a recessed area of the rim.

Very rare Qing Dynasty coin with inscription on rim

An example is the large coin displayed at the left.

This is a very rare denomination “One Hundred Cash” (一百) coin cast at the mint in Fuzhou (福州), Fujian Province (福建省) during the reign of the Xianfeng Emperor (1851-1861) of the Qing Dynasty.  In recessed areas of the rim on the reverse side of this xianfeng zhongbao (咸豐重寶) coin are the Chinese characters wu liang ji zhong (五兩計重) which translates as “5 liang calculated weight”.

The taiping tongbao charm displays several auspicious symbols on its obverse side.

If you look at the top rim you will see symbols which resemble the number “8” and represent gourds.  The gourd is believed to ward off evil spirits and disease.

At the bottom rim are two Chinese cash coins (circles with a square hole in the middle) which symbolize wealth and prosperity.

Reverse side of Tai Ping Tong Bao Charm

The reverse side of the charm, shown here at the left, includes additional inscriptions and a number of auspicious symbols.

Written vertically at the right of the square hole are the Chinese characters quxie (驱邪).  At the left of the square hole are the characters qiansha (遣煞).  The inscription quxie qiansha (驱邪遣煞) translates as “expel and strike dead evil influences”.

Just above the hole are two crossed swords with tassels which symbolizes “victory over evil”.

At the lower right and lower left corners of the square hole are two “bats”.  The bat (fu 蝠)is a visual pun or rebus for “good fortune” or “happiness”.

Below the hole are two Chinese characters.  At the right is the character dang (當) and to its left is a swastika (卍).

The Chinese “swastika” (卍) is an ancient religious and charm symbol that over the course of two millinnea has variously been interpreted to represent the sun, fire, the light emanating from the Buddha, etc.

The 卍 symbol also represents the number “ten thousand” (wan 萬).  The two character inscription (dang wan 當卍) thus translates as “Value Ten Thousand” which means the denomination of this charm “coin” is equivalent to ten thousand cash coins.  Quite a fortune, indeed!

Finally, along the right and left rims are very stylized dragons.

This is an extraordinary charm from the late imperial period that displays a variety of good luck symbols and inscriptions while incorporating features rarely found even on officially cast coins.

Kushan Empire coins unearthed in Ningxia

In early October, 2012, a villager digging near an old wall in wangminxiang hongtaicun village (王民乡红太村) located in Xiji Prefecture (西吉县) in China’s northwest Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region (宁夏回族自治区) unearthed 17 ancient Silk Road coins, according to several reports in the Chinese press.

The newspapers interviewed Mr. Su Zhengxi (苏正喜) of the Xiji Prefecture Coin Museum (西吉县钱币博物馆) who stated that a preliminary investigation identifies these copper coins as originating from the ancient Kushan Empire (guishuang 贵霜王朝) which existed about the same time as China’s Han Dynasty.

Kushan coin with image of king

The Kushan Empire existed during the period 30 AD – 375 AD and occupied northwest India and the adjoining regions of Iran and Afghanistan.  At the height of its influence, Kushan’s territorial control expanded to include parts of western China’s Xinjiang.  Kushan played a major role in linking the seagoing trade of the Indian Ocean with the overland route of the Silk Road.

The coins are described as being round but do not have a hole in the center, unlike the bronze Chinese coins of the same era.

Ancient Kushan coin with image of ox or cow

Various newspaper reports give slightly different descriptions of the coins.  Some reports state that the coins have the image of a king on one side and the image of a cow or ox on the reverse side.  Other newspaper accounts state that there are written characters on one side and an image of a cow or oxen on the reverse.

Mr. Su mentions that three of the coins have inscriptions written in a “foreign script”.

Kushan coin with inscription

One newspaper report states that the coins were minted (struck) in the same manner as ancient Greek coins and that the obverse sides have inscriptions written in “Kushanized” Greek letters.  The reverse sides are said to have images of Persian and Indian gods.

The coins are about 1.2 to 1.5 cm in diameter, have a thickness of 0.25 cm and weigh 2.4 to 3.7 grams.

Mr. Su emphasized that this is the first time these particular ancient Kushan coins have been discovered in Ningxia.  Previous to this, the only coins of this type that have been unearthed in China have been “several tens of coins” discovered in the Loulan ruins (楼兰遗址) and Hetian (和田地区) in Xinjiang.

Ancient Kushan coin with inscription

The museum has 5 or 6 coins originating from the ancient Silk Road but these coins were found mixed together with other coins when unearthed in Xiji Prefecture.

Mr. Su pointed out that this was the largest hoard of such coins discovered in Ningxia and the first time Silk Road coins have been discovered not mixed with other coins.

Historical records mention that this area was part of the northern section of the Silk Road but, to date, there had been no archaeological evidence to confirm this.  Mr. Su said that the discovery of these seventeen Kushan coins now provides the needed evidence to confirm the historical records.

During ancient times, a large number of merchants would have travelled through the area where the coins were unearthed on their way to and from Luoyang (洛阳) at the eastern end of the Silk Road.

A Chinese villager digging a well in his yard unearthed a large cache of knife and spade money dating to the Warring States (战国 475-221 BC) and Qin Dynasty (秦 221-207 BC) period according a recent newspaper report from Hebei Province (河北省).

This is the first time such a large and ancient hoard of coins from this time period has been discovered in Laiyuan (涞源), a town near the city of Baoding (保定).

Spade and knife money unearthed from State of Yan

The knife (daobi 刀币) and spade money (bubi 布币) has been identified as originating from the ancient State of Yan (燕国) which occupied the area until it was conquered by the armies of Qin Shi Huang (秦始皇) in 222 BC.

A total of 98 specimens of knife money and 161 specimens of spades were recovered.

From the picture published with the article, there appear to be both “square foot” (fang zu bu 方足布) and “pointed foot” (jian zu bu 尖足布) spades discovered in the hoard.

Unfortunately, the newspaper article does not provide larger images or any information as to the inscriptions on these spade and knife-shaped coins.

In the early 1970’s, Buddhist monks digging in the courtyard of the Chengtian Temple (承天寺) in Quanzhou (泉州), Fujian Province in order to bury jars of a traditional Chinese medicine known as “golden juice” (jinzhi 金汁) made a startling discovery.  They uncovered clay moulds (qianfan 钱范) used to cast ancient Chinese coins.

It was not until much later, in April of 2002, that archaeologists began a formal excavation.  At a depth of about 3 meters they discovered more than a thousand clay mould fragments.

“Yong long tong bao” clay mould

The clay moulds were confirmed to have been used to cast the yong long tong bao (永隆通宝) iron coins made during the yong long reign (939-944 AD) of Wang Yanxi (王延曦) of the ancient Kingdom of Min (闽).

The actual location of the Kingdom of Min mint is not mentioned in the historical records.  The large number of mould fragments discovered at the site therefore confirms that the mint was located in Quanzhou.

With the discovery of this coin-casting site, Quanzhou becomes the only known mint site from the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period (wudai shiguo 五代十国).

The reason for the large number of broken clay moulds has to do with the casting method employed at the time.  A two-piece clay mould was made with a small hole in which the molten iron could be poured.  Once the metal had hardened, the mould had to be broken to remove the coin.  Each mold could therefore only be used to make one coin.

Yong long tong bao coins are very rare.  It is estimated that only two specimens exist in China’s museums and that perhaps only about 100 specimens are in the hands of private Chinese coin collectors.  The reason for the scarcity has to do with the short period of time (one year seven months) the coins were cast, the fact that iron rusts and deteriorates, the limited area in which the coins circulated, and the method of casting.

Besides iron, a very few specimens of the coin are known to exist made of bronze.  An even smaller number are made of lead.

As can be seen from the images of the moulds above, the coins have the character min (闽) above the square hole on the reverse side and a “crescent” (月) below the hole.  Some examples have a dot or “star” (星) to the right or left of the hole.

Iron was used to cast the coins because the Quanzhou area had ample supplies of iron and coal but lacked copper reserves.  Even though the casting technique was the same as had been used since even much more ancient times, the technology had at least evolved to the point where Chinese inscriptions could be clearly cast.  This means the molten iron had to be at a temperature of at least 1535°C.

Experts consider it particularly fortunate to have discovered these clay moulds.  It is rare for such cultural objects to survive in climates that receive more than 1200 mm of rain per year as is the case with Quanzhou.  This is believed to be one of the major reasons that no other sites which cast coins with clay moulds have been discovered this far south.

Display of Kingdom of Min clay mould fragments

The coin moulds are presently on display in a special exhibition room in Quanzhou.

As mentioned above, this discovery may not have ever been made if it were not for some Buddhist monks digging at the Chengtian Temple.  The monks were digging a hole to bury “golden juice”.

“Golden juice” is a traditional Chinese medicine from the Quanzhou area.  It is made by mixing together the feces of preadolescent boys, spring water and “red soil” (红土).  The solution is then stored in a clay jar which is buried at a depth of about 3 meters.  The jars are left in the ground for 30-40 years and then dug up.

“Golden juice” is taken orally and is considered to be particularly efficacious in the treatment of high fevers.

“Golden juice” being dug up at Cheng Tian Temple

The picture at the left shows about 40 jars of “golden juice” being dug up at Chengtian Temple after having been buried for some 38 years.

This was the last batch of “golden juice” made in 1973.

There is concern that interest in maintaining some of the local techniques of traditional Chinese medicine are dying off with the passing of the older generation.

In the past, jars of “golden juice” that were dug up would be replaced with new jars so that there would be a steady supply.

According to the article, people have lost interest in collecting and processing the excrement and, as a result, the jars are not being replaced.

The “golden juice” of Quanzhou may be destined to be another casualty in the rapid modernization of China.

Largest Ancient Chinese Coin Hoard Ever Discovered in Xinjiang

The largest cache of ancient coins ever discovered in China’s western Xinjiang Province has been unearthed in Kucha (库车), the ancient capital of the Qiuci Kingdom (龟兹), according to a recent article published in the Chinese press.

Mr. Chen Wei (陈伟), the Vice Bureau Chief of the Kucha Prefecture Bureau of Cultural Relics, revealed that more than 14,000 coin were recovered which is even larger than the previous record discovery made in 2007.

Archaeologists Digging at Excavation Site

According to Mr. Chen, his bureau was notified on July 16, 2012 of a large cache of ancient coins found during an excavation at a construction site.  He and his team immediately went to the site to remove the large hoard of coins.

The coins included wu zhu (“Five Zhu” 五铢), chiselled rim wu zhu (剪边五铢), huo quan (“Money Coin” 货泉) and da quan wu shi (“Large Coin Fifty” 大泉五十) from the Wang Mang period (王莽 7-23 AD), small bronze qiuci coins without inscriptions (龟兹无文小铜钱) and quici wu zhu coins (龟兹小五铢).

The coins are believed to have been buried sometime during the period between the Eastern Han (东汉) and Wei Jin (魏晋) which would be about 1700 years ago.

First Three Kingdoms Coin Discovered in Xinjiang

The most startling discovery, however, was one specimen of a tai ping bai qian (太平百钱) coin, shown at left, which was cast by the Kingdom of Shu (蜀汉 221-265 AD) during the Three Kingdoms (三国时期 220-280 AD).

According to Mr. Chen, this was the first coin from the Three Kingdoms period ever discovered in Xinjiang.

Mr. Chen stated that the experts are unable to explain how this coin came to be found in Xinjiang.  He speculated that perhaps there was some “mysterious contact” at the time.  In any case, the experts hope to be able to unravel the mystery after further research.

A large number of pottery shards and fragments of human bones were also discovered so it is possible that the site is actually an ancient graveyard.

According to a televised report by China Central Television (CCTV 中国中央电视台) on August 18, 2012, what may be the smallest Chinese coin ever discovered has been unearthed in Zaozhuang (枣庄), a city in China’s eastern province of Shandong (山东省).

The coin is described as being paper-thin with a rough edge and no larger than a fingernail.

The coin has no inscription but is believed to have been privately cast about 1500 years ago during the Southern and Northern Dynasties (557-589 AD) which was a particularly chaotic time in Chinese history.

The report states that “money-mad governors and greedy landlords” privately minted these coins to “squeeze poor peasants”, and that 10,000 of these coins would not have been enough to buy even one bowl of rice.

The CCTV video in English, which shows an image of the coin, may be seen here.

The Yonhap News Agency is reporting that a Korean scholar believes a previously unknown inscription on a 2,500-year-old Chinese knife-shaped form of money is actually written in Korean.

Dr. Lee Chan-gu is an expert on the ancient Chinese book of divination known as the “Book of Changes” (I Ching, yijing 易经).  In his new book entitled “Money”, Dr. Lee claims that the inscription on a specimen of Chinese knife-shaped money (daobi 刀币) dating from the middle to late Spring and Autumn Period (771 BC – 476 BC) is written in the Korean alphabet known as Hangul (한글).

Korean inscription on ancient Chinese knife-shaped money

The “pointed tip knife” (jian shou dao 尖首刀), shown at the left, was discovered in northeast China and has been included in such famous Chinese numismatic works as the “Xu Quan Hui” (续泉汇) published in 1875 by Li Zuoxian (李佐贤) as well as the Pre-Qin Volume of the “The Great Dictionary of Chinese Numismatics” (中国钱币大辞典:先秦篇) published in 1995.

These authoritative works state that the inscription is written in “unknown characters” (未知文字).

Dr. Lee claims that the “unidentified” inscription is written in ancient Korean characters and is the Korean word don (돈) which means “money”.

Dr. Lee’s premise has evoked a great deal of controversy among scholars in both Korea and China.

The fundamental question is how a specimen of ancient Chinese “knife money” could possibly have an inscription written in Korean when Sejong the Great (King Sejong) of the Joseon Dynasty did not even invent the Korean alphabet Hangul until 1443-1444 AD, which was some 2,000 years later.

The answer, according to Dr. Lee, is found in a document written by Sejong the Great in 1446.  In “The Proper Sounds for Instructing the People” (Hunmin jeongeum 훈 민정음 해), Sejong the Great reveals that some of his new writing system imitates an ancient Korean script.

Dr. Lee believes that the inscription on this knife money is evidence that Sejong the Great did indeed incorporate ancient Korean characters in the Hangul script he invented.

It is believed that this particular example of “knife money” originated in the ancient state of Guzhu (guzhuquo 孤竹国) which was situated in northeast China and was a vassal state during the Shang and Zhou dynasties.

According to the ancient Korean historical text “Legends and History of the Three Kingdoms of Ancient Korea” (samguk yusa 삼국유사, 三國遺事), the people of Guzhu also lived on the Korean peninsula and the traditions of Guzhu continued under the ancient Korean kingdom of Goguryeo (고구려,高句丽).

Based on this, Dr. Lee speculates that the Korean script first began to be used about 3000 years ago in the area of Guzhu.

This new theory challenges the accepted view of the origin of the written Korean language.  Many scholars, however, remain skeptical and are reluctant to accept Dr. Lee’s theory without additional proof.

Old Chinese chess piece on cover of “Ministers of Fire”

“Ministers of Fire” is a newly-published critically-acclaimed novel by Mark Harril Saunders which displays an ancient Chinese soldier on its dust jacket.

The soldier is not a creation of a graphics designer but is actually an ancient Chinese chess piece dating back about 1000 years.

The author contacted me late last year after seeing the old Chinese chess piece on my website.  He asked for permission to use the image on the cover of his new novel to be published by Swallow Press (Ohio University Press) in early 2012.

I was happy to grant permission and provided the high resolution images.

The book is a fast-moving spy thriller which has received outstanding reviews from such notable authors as Robert Stone and John Casey, both of whom are National Book Award winners.

The book has also earned a “starred review” from Publishers Weekly.

It is quite exciting to see a piece from your own collection on the book jacket of a major novel.

Many old Chinese charms were modeled after a well-known ancient Chinese coin.  This coin’s calligraphy was simple yet elegant and the inscription expressed the primal foundation of the universe according to ancient Chinese philosophy.

The coin was the wu xing da bu (“Large Coin of the Five Elements” 五行大布) which was cast during the reign of Emperor Wu of the Northern Zhou Dynasty (557-581 AD).

The “five elements” (wu xing 五行) refer to the five fundamental elements of metal (金), wood (木), water (水), fire (火), and earth (土).

The charm at the left, which recently appeared on a Chinese coin forum, is a fairly rare and beautiful example of a charm modeled after this coin.

The obverse side has the same inscription and looks like the coin.

The only difference is that the coin has a square hole in the center while the charm has a round hole.

The reverse side of the coin is plain with no symbols.

The reverse side of the charm, however, has both a Chinese inscription as well as other symbols.

At the bottom of the charm is a tiger and at the top is an “auspicious cloud“.

The inscription is read right to left as yin shi (寅时) which can translate as the “tiger hour”.

While we are accustomed to dividing the day into 24 one-hour segments, the ancient Chinese divided the day into 12 two-hour segments know as shichen (时辰).  Each shichen was named after one of the “Twelve Earthly Branches” (地支).

The third “Chinese hour” or shichen, which would be 3:00 AM to 4:59 AM, was named yin shi (寅时) after the third of the Twelve Earthly Branches.  Each Earthly Branch is associated with one of the 12 animals of the Chinese zodiac and the third animal in the series is the tiger.

The Chinese believed that the period 3:00 AM – 4:59 AM was the time the tiger liked to hunt.

But the tiger was perceived to be a symbol of protection as opposed to a source of danger.

As to why the tiger is the third in the traditional ordinal system known as the Earthly Branches, there appears to be two explanations.

The first explanation is that the order of the 12 animals was determined by an usual system based on the number of toes/hooves/claws each animal had and then alternating between even and odd numbers.  For example, the first animal is the rat because of its unique feature of having an even number of toes on its front legs (4) and an odd number on its rear legs (5).

The second animal in the sequence is the ox because it has an even number of toes (4).

The third animal is the tiger because it has an odd number of claws (5). (Truth be told, the tiger actually has five claws on the front foot and four on the rear.)

The remaining 4th through 12th even-odd alternating sequence continued with the rabbit (4), dragon (5), snake (0 which was considered “even”), horse (1), sheep (4), monkey (5), rooster (4), dog (5), and boar (4).

An alternative explanation is based on an ancient folk story in which the Jade Emperor determined the order of the animals of the zodiac according to how they finished a “race”.

These “tiger hour” charms offering protection and good luck are very old and can be dated back to about the same time period (557-581 AD) as the “Large Coin of the Five Elements”.