Metallic fiduciary currency reproducing the stylised silhouette of an agricultural weeding tool. The piece has a rectilinear profile consisting of a trapezoidal head (representing the stylised handle), straight shoulders forming sharp angles, and two square-shaped legs or feet (Fang Zu). The two lower limbs are separated by a central arch resembling an inverted circumflex. Both sides of the piece are structured by a slightly raised central vertical ridge, cast directly with the object and serving as a guiding axis. The textured surface reveals traces of an inscription in archaic Large Seal Script (Zhuanshu), now largely obscured by sedimentary deposits.
 
The piece displays stable corrosion and extensive mineralisation resulting from prolonged burial, forming an archaeological excavation patina. The bronze surface is covered by a dense carbonate crust of vivid green malachite, interspersed with areas of blue azurite and hardened earthy sedimentary concretions. This patina seals the underlying metal and is consistent with the archaeological nature of the piece.
 
This object belongs to a major transitional phase in Chinese economic history, preceding the imperial unification under the Qin in 221 BC. During the Warring States period, the increasing monetisation of trade led the various states within the Zhou cultural sphere to standardise instruments of exchange derived from actual tools, particularly spades and knives. Fang Zu Bu (“square-foot spades”) embodied both purchasing power and the monetary authority of the issuing city-states of China’s Central Plain.
 
Condition: Extensive surface mineralisation. Substantial protective archaeological excavation patina.