Ancient Chinese Qi Knife

Here is a knife coin that is not seen too often, but it is by no moeans rare. Due to their large size impressive style, they have become very popular and fetch much higher prices than what their rarity suggests.

This coin has been broken at the handle, which is why it was largely ignored in the auction lot I got it in. Otherwise, I would not have been able to afford an example of a Qi knife. Looking at the break, one can see how the metal has crystalized, meaning that this coin has been buried for many centuries. The glue repair is very old and was there when I bought it. Everyone I have shown this coin to says it is genuine, and I agree.

The Qi Knives were cast by the state of Qi during the late Warring States Period, likely 350 BC to 250 BC. These coins are of a higher quality than anything else from Ancient China, with the high, well-formed rims and complex inscription. If these dated from before 400 BC, one would expect a very simple inscription of one character like those on spade coins and other knife coins. These are never seen with fewer than three characters, and are known to have four, five, and six characters. The rarity of Qi knives increases with the number of characters in the inscription.

The reverse always has a character that represents a mintmark or cyclical character. This character does not affect value or rarity.

The obverse reads "Qi Fa Hua," or "The [official] Currency of Qi."