"Money Toad" Tea Pet

A shortened version of the story explaining this tea pet would be that there once was a greedy toad who would eat the money, gems, and other valuables of anyone who crossed its path, but was finally trapped by a monk after losing one of its legs during its struggle with the monk. The monk taught it compassion and justice, so the toad then began to eat the money and wealth of the wicked during each day only to spit out all that it had collected to the homes of the righteous and needy each night. Believed to bring wealth to a home and to possess the ability to reverse bad fortune into good luck by spinning the coin in its mouth, this toad also has seven gems aligned in the image of the Big Dipper constellation on its back. This tea pet is made from Yixing clay. Over time by being treated with tea, the clay will gain a deeper luster and sheen as well as take on the properties of the tea that is poured over it beginning to eventually even smell like the tea that is used.