Cash coins in art

Cash coins in art
A cash coin used as part of the logo of Agriseco in the Hoàng Mai District, Hanoi, Vietnam.
Traditional Chinese	銅錢紋
Simplified Chinese	铜钱纹
Literal meaning	copper coin motif
Transcriptions Standard Mandarin Hanyu Pinyin tóng qián wén
Alternative Chinese name
Traditional Chinese	金錢紋
Simplified Chinese	金钱纹
Literal meaning	gold coin motif
Transcriptions Standard Mandarin Hanyu Pinyin jīn qián wén

Cash coins are a type of historical Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Ryukyuan, and Vietnamese coin design that was the main basic design for the Chinese cash, Japanese mon, Korean mun, Ryukyuan mon, and Vietnamese văn currencies. The cash coin became the main standard currency of China in 221 BC with the Ban Liang (半兩) and would be produced until 1912 AD there with the Minguo Tongbao (民國通寶), the last series of cash coins produced in the world were the French Indochinese Bảo Đại Thông Bảo (保大通寶) during the 1940s.^[1] Cash coins are round coins with a square centre hole.^[2] It is commonly believed that the early round coins of the Warring States period resembled the ancient jade circles (璧環) which symbolised the supposed round shape of the sky, while the centre hole in this analogy is said to represent the planet earth (天圓地方).^[2] The body of these early round coins was called their "flesh" (肉) and the central hole was known as "the good" (好).^[2]

While cash coins are no longer produced as official currency today, they remain a common motif in the countries where they once circulated and among the diaspora of those communities. Most commonly cash coins are associated with "good luck" and "wealth" today and are commonly known as "Chinese lucky coins" because of their usage in charms and feng shui (see "Cash coins in feng shui"). Cash coins also appear in fortune telling (see "Cash coins in fortune telling") and traditional Chinese medicine (see "Cash coins in traditional Chinese medicine"). Furthermore, cash coins are often found in the logos and emblems of financial institutions in East Asia and Vietnam because of their association with "wealth" and their historical value.