339, Lot: 629. Estimate $100. Sold for $120. This amount does not include the buyer’s fee.

CHINA, Charms. Bridge money. temp. Zhou dynasty, circa 1046-256 BC. Æ Qing – Bridge money (128x26mm,13.12 g). Curved bronze qing with suspension loop at top and minor decorative elements. Near VF, green patina.

From the J.P. Righetti Collection.

Though colloquially known as ‘bridge money,’ these bronze ‘bridges’ are actually funerary objects designed to imitate the stone chimes of the bianqing. They never circulated as currency.