CHINA: Cash Coin Sword, made of approximately 100 coins and likely sewn together in the Min Guo (Republic) period in the 1920-40s; the blade of the sword is sound, as is the handle, and has lots of dangling ornaments also made of coins, a most unusual example! VF, ex Howard A. Daniel III Collection. Coin swords were a form of talisman used in south China to ward off evil influences, especially those inducing fever. They were made by tying together 'cash' (the pidgin term for Chinese coins with a square hole in the middle) onto an iron rod. The coins in this sword are almost all from the Qian Long (1736-1795) to Dao Guang (1820-1850) period.

Estimate: USD 100 - 150