Smallest Chinese coin in history unearthed

A tiny coin, 15-hundred years old, was unearthed recently in Zaozhuang of East China’s Shandong Province. Scholars say it could be the smallest coin in China’s history.

The paper-thin coin has a rough edge, and is no larger than the size of a regular finger nail. Scholars say this kind of coin wasn’t officially in circulation 15 centuries ago. The period of the Southern and Northern Dynasties is considered one of the most chaotic eras in China’s history.

Money-mad governors and greedy landlords minted this coin in private to squeeze poor peasants. 10-thousand coins like this would not have been enough to afford a bowl of rice. That’s why it doesn’t have a pattern or face value on it.

Cntv.cn