299, Lot: 507. Estimate $75. Sold for $125. This amount does not include the buyer’s fee.

CHINA, Eastern Zhou dynasty - Warring States Period. State of Yān. Circa 400-220 BC. Æ Knife (135 x 16mm, 16.17 g). Ming type. Ming or Yi dao in earliy Hànzì / Uncertain characters. BN Chinoises I 313-4; cf. Hartill 4.43. Near VF, green patina with earthen encrustation, reverse characters obscured.

From the John Shaw Collection, with old collector’s ticket attached.

The obverse character on this popular coin was initially read as Ming. However, recent excavations at the city of Yi, capital of the state of Yān, uncovered a mint for this type of knife, suggesting that the alternate interpretation of the legend as Yi dao is correct.