China was among the first countries in the world to use money as documented by historical records.

Additional type of bronze money from this time period consisted of small oval pieces cast in the State of Chu.  This form of money is known as “ant nose” or “ghost” face money because the characters inscribed on them resemble a human face.

These coins are generally very crude, cast in a mixture of lead and copper. Because of the poor quality of metal and high lead content, these coins were quickly damaged and worn out and are rarely found in high quality.