When did the Chinese invent coins?

Answer 1

The first metal coins are regarded by some as having been invented in China. The earliest known Chinese metal tokens were made ca. 900 BC, discovered in a tomb near Anyang. Most numismatists, however, regard these as well as later Chinese bronzes ... as money but not as coins because they didn't at least initially carry a mark or marks certifying them to be of a definite exchange value.

Coins originated independently in Anatolia, with most numismatists regarding Lydia asthe birthplace of coinage. The Greeks soon adopted the Lydian practice and extended it to commerce and trade, with coinage following Greek colonization and influence first around the eastern Mediterranean and soon after to North Africa (including Egypt),Syria, Persia, and the Balkans.

Along with China and Anatolia, India also played a major part in the development of coinage. The first Indian coins were minted around the 6th century BC by the Mahajanapadas of the Indo-Gangetic Plain. Some argue that Indian coins were developed from Western prototypes, which the Indians came in contact with through Babylonian traders.