192 Field Museum of Natural History — Anth., Vol. X. 



have no doubt that this example presents a very ancient coin, perhaps 

 of the Chou period, being an older type than the circular coins with 

 square hole. 



It is curious that also the first copper coin of Japan is said to be a 

 piece quite plain, circular in shape and having a round (rather ellip- 

 soidal) hole in the centre. " Illustrations of this coin are found in nearly 

 every old book treating on coins," remarks van de Polder, 1 "and it 



is always stated to have been struck in the 

 time of Mombu Tenno (697-709 a. d.) ; but 

 it is impossible to find out either the exact 

 date or its size and weight." 



Aside from the jade coin of Wang Mang, 

 there is another report relative to the reign 

 of the Emperor Wu (265-285 a. d.) of the 

 Tsin dynasty, who received from the country 

 of Yin-k'in in the northern part of Turkistan 

 a thousand strings of jade coins shaped like 

 rings, each ring weighing ten ounces and bear- 

 ing on the obverse the inscription: T'ien 

 ki, "May you live as long as Heaven and eternally 



Fig. 94. 



Ancient Metal Coin with Round 



Perforation (from Kin 



ting ts'ien lu). 



shou yung 

 prosper!" 



The Ku yil Vu p'u exhibits a large series of jade coins and medals in 

 which little or no confidence can be placed. 



Two jade seals are shown on Plate XXVII, Figs. 4 and 5. The 

 one in Fig. 4 carved from grayish-green jade filled on all sides with some 

 clayish substance is a private seal of the Han period beating on the 

 lower face the name of the owner Ngan Yi (Giles, Nos. 44 and 5397). 

 The upper part of the seal is perforated, so that it could be suspended 

 from the girdle. The other seal in Fig. 5, though carved from jade of 

 the Han period (a plant-green brown and red-mottled jade), is a recent 

 work, and presumably not older than the KHen-lung period (1736- 

 1795). The serpent-like coiled dragon carved in high relief on the top 

 is in the style of the Han period; there is no name engraved on the 

 lower face. The usual material for seals in China is copper or bronze, 

 and, as there is an extensive number of such metal seals in our collec- 

 tion, comprising the periods of the Ts'in, Han, San kuo, T'ang, Sung 

 and Yuan, including also a series of ancient clay seals, there will be 

 occasion to revert to this subject. 2 The shapes and designs of the 



Abridged History of the Copper Coins of Japan {Transactions of the Asiatic 

 Society of Japan, Vol. XIX, p. 427, 1891). 



2 An exposition of the imperial and official seals and their functions will be found 

 in P. Hoang, Melanges sur l'administration, pp. 57 et seq., Shanghai, 1902. 



