Cash: Chinese Coins with Square Holes

ancient coins · China · money history

Round with a square hole. Cash coins had a unique design, round on the outside but with a small square hole cut right through the middle. This hole made it easy for people to thread many coins together on a string for carrying and storing.

Lasted for centuries. These coins were used from around the 400s BC all the way until 1912, making them some of the longest-used coins in world history. Even coins that were 1,000 years old were still accepted as real money.

Cast and molded. Most cash coins were made by pouring melted metal into molds, a process called casting. During the late 1800s, China started using machines to strike and press coins instead, which was faster and more precise.

Different metals used. Cash coins were usually made from copper or bronze, but craftspeople also made them from iron, lead, and zinc. Very rare gold and silver cash coins were sometimes produced for special purposes.

Stopped in 1912. The last Chinese cash coins were made in 1912, when China became a republic and switched to different types of money.