S925 Silver Coin Sword Pendant

A coin sword is made by stringing coins one against another into the shape of a sword, hung behind a door or at the head of a bed in the old days. Coins passed through many hands, and folk belief held that the yang energy in them was strong enough to press down on unclean things; there is no basis for it, but plenty of people still hang one. A coin is round outside and square within, and the old saying has heaven round and earth square, so a single coin carries the whole idea. The sword is the most upright of weapons, straight and unbending, which is why protective pieces like the shape. Coin swords appear in old photographs hung behind doors, point down, with red cloth tied at the hilt.

The sword shape has rules: the point must taper, the blade run straight, the guard separate blade from grip, and the pommel carry a tassel. When stringing, line the holes up, pass the red cord through the square holes and draw it tight, or the blade goes slack. Pack the coins close; leave a gap and the whole thing shifts. Old pieces used hemp cord, new ones mostly red, and red looks more alive. The coins need not be the same size, but they should step down from hilt to point, or it does not read as a sword. Red cord fades with time; when it does, replace it, because a faded cord makes the whole sword look old.

This pendant presses the sword shape and the coin pattern into one plaque. At this size it can only suggest: the blade is made narrow, and the coin pattern is reduced to a row of round outlines with square holes, so from a distance it is a sword and up close the blade turns out to be all coins. A narrow border runs around the face like the ridge of a blade, and light crossing it draws a bright line. The coin outlines are only outlines, and whether the square holes are cut through or left solid varies between versions.

Hang it where you like: a backpack zip, a keyring, a car's rear-view mirror. Point down is the convention; some people avoid point up, saying it looks like an offering. Belief is up to the wearer, and comfort matters more. In a car, do not use too long a cord, or it swings into the glass when you brake. On a keyring, the blade will grind against the keys over time, so give it its own ring.

Small silver pieces take knocks, and the point bends most easily. Do not bend it back and forth: silver fatigues, and one or two corrections will straighten it while many will break it. Wipe the blade with a silver cloth and turn a cotton bud in the square holes. Black collects in the four corners of a square hole, so go slowly there. Store it flat, with nothing pressing on the blade.