More than 12,000 iron coins dating from the Northern Song (北宋 959-1126) have been recovered from ruins located in Shanxi Province (山西省) following 20 months of excavation and research, according to a report by the Shanxi Provincial Institute of Archaeology (山西省考古研究所) published January 26, 2015 by the Shanxi News Network (山西新闻网).
The archaeological site, situated on a high precipice, is located at Jiangzhou (绛州) which was the historical name of what is now Xinjiang County (新绛县). China’s most famous percussion ensemble, the Jiangzhou Drum Troupe (绛州鼓乐), derives its name from this ancient prefecture.
The iron coins were severely corroded. After treating the coins for rust, the archaeologists have determined that most of the coins are from the middle to late Northern Song Dynasty.
The coins are from six reign periods (nian hao年号) as follows:
da guan tong bao (大观通宝) written in Slender Gold script
zheng he tong bao (政和通宝) written in Li script (隶书)
zheng he tong bao (政和通宝) written in seal script
At the bottom left of the image is an earthenware vessel that contained some of the coins.
Besides the coin, several furnaces (炉灶) and crucibles (坩埚) were unearthed at the site. One of the furnaces is shown at the bottom middle. A crucible can be seen at the bottom right.
Whether or not the furnaces and crucibles are related to the large number of iron coins discovered is a question the archaeologists say will require further study.
China has historically admired government officials who displayed the highest degree of learning and moral integrity in their work.
Chinese charm written in “tadpole script” honoring Yang Zhen, an official of the Eastern Han Dynasty
At the left is a charm which honors such an official.
The inscription, written in a particular style of seal script to be discussed later, reads qing bai chuan jia (清白传家) which translates as “pureness handed down in the family”.
This inscription refers to Yang Zhen (样震 ?-124 AD) who was a government official during the Eastern Han dynasty (25-220 AD).
Reverse side of charm honoring Yang Zhen
Yang Zhen was known for his erudition and impeccable moral character.
There is a famous story concerning Yang Zhen told in Chinese as follows:
Tadpole script, as you might guess, resembles tadpoles. As can be seen here with the character bai (白) in the inscription, the top (head) of the character tends to be large. The stroke then narrows so that the bottom (tail) of the character is very thin.
Tadpole script was developed after the Han dynasty (汉朝 206 BC – 220 AD).
At the time, the term “tadpole script” also referred to the script that had been used during the Zhou dynasty (周朝 c.1046 BC – 256 BC).
Tadpole script was short-lived, however, and by the time of the Tang dynasty (唐朝 618-907) was not frequently used.
These charms first appeared during the Song dynasty (宋朝 960-1279) and usually have a diameter of 62.5 mm, a thickness of 4 mm, and a weight of 62.9 grams. The specimen shown above, however, is unusually large with a diameter of about 90 mm.
This Chinese charm, with the distinctive tadpole script, serves as a testament to the qualities the ancient Chinese admired in a government official. Officials were expected to be well-versed in the classics and to display the highest moral character.
On special occasions in ancient times, Chinese mints would cast an unusually large, thick, heavy and well-made coin.
The coin was known as a “vault protector” (zhen ku qian镇库钱).
The coin was not for circulation but occupied a special place at the treasury.
The treasury had a spirit hall where offerings could be made to various gods including the God of Wealth (财神). The special coin would sometimes be hung with red silk and tassels above the incense table in the spirit hall.
The vault protector coin was believed to have charm-like powers that provided protection from disaster and evil while ensuring good fortune and wealth.
Vault protector coin “da tang zhen ku” of Southern Tang
Shown at the left is the earliest vault protector coin know to exist, and also the most famous.
The inscription da tang zhen ku (大唐镇库) translates as “Vault Protector of the Tang Dynasty”.
The translation is a little misleading, however, because the coin was not produced during the great Tang Dynasty (618-907).
The coin is actually attributed to the short-lived Southern Tang (nan tang 南唐 937-976) which was one of the Ten Kingdoms that existed after the fall of the Tang.
The coin was cast during the baoda period (保大 943-957) of the reign of Yuanzong (元宗), also known as Li Jing (李景 or 李璟), of the Southern Tang.
In addition to the da tang tong bao (大唐通宝) coins, he also had cast this large vault protector coin with the inscription da tang zhen ku (大唐镇库).
The coin retains the characteristics of Southern Tang coins.
The diameter is 6 cm, the thickness is 0.6 cm, the diameter of the hole is 1.24 cm and the coin weighs 93.7 grams.
The coin was originally acquired in the early 20th century by Mr. Fang Yaoyu (方药雨), a well-known coin collector in Tianjin. The coin was later owned by Mr. Chen Rentao (陈仁涛).
Since the early 1950’s, this famous da tang zhen ku vault protector coin has been in the collection of the National Museum of China (中国国家博物馆).
It is the only authentic specimen known to exist.
Qing Dynasty vault protector on display at the Leizhou City Museum
The obverse side (not shown) of the coin has the inscription xian feng tong bao (咸丰通宝) which means the coin was cast during the reign of the Xianfeng Emperor (咸丰帝), 1850-1861.
The inscription on the reverse side, seen above, is da qing zhen ku (大清镇库) which means “Vault Protector of the Qing Dynasty”.
According to this article, there were a total of five of these special vault protector coins cast. In the early years of the Republic (1912-1949), a eunuch stole the coins. Three of the coins were sold to an Englishman for “a large amount of money”. One of the remaining coins is at the Leizhou City Museum and the other is at The Palace Museum (故宫博物院) in Beijing.
The coin has a diameter of 14 cm. The square hole is 2.5 cm. The coin weighs 1050 grams.
Vault protector coin cast at the Board of Works during the reign of the Xianfeng Emperor of the Qing Dynasty
The inscription reads bao yuan ju zao (宝源局造) which means “made by the Board of Works”.
The reverse side has the Chinese inscription zhen ku (镇库) which means “vault protector”.
According to Mr. Ma Dingxiang (马定祥), one of the most famous Chinese numismatists of the 20th century, this vault protector is consistent with the style of coins cast during the reign of the Xianfeng Emperor.
Reverse side of vault protector coin cast during the reign of the Xianfeng Emperor
This very large coin has a diameter of 11.52 cm and weighs 837.3 grams. The center hole is 1.8 cm.
According to “Coins in China’s History” published in 1936 by Arthur B. Coole (邱文明), only 4 or 5 of these vault protector coins from the Board of Works (宝源局) exist. Mr. Ma Dingxiang states in his book on the coins of Xianfeng (咸丰泉汇), that there exists just one specimen of a companion vault protector coin that was cast at the same time at the Board of Revenue (宝泉局).
The description in the exhibit reads “A Taiping Sample Coin Permanently Placed in the Heavenly Treasury as a Symbol of Wealth”.
It can be clearly seen in this image just how thick these vault protector coins really are.
There is some speculation that a very large and heavy banliang coin (半两) made of silver was cast by the State of Qin (秦) in 336 BC to serve as a vault protector. Please see “State of Qin Silver Banliang Coin” for a detailed discussion.
Because vault protector coins are so rare, there is no shortage of fakes appearing on the market. In doing research for this article, I found several coins described as vault protectors which I found questionable. Collectors of these special coins therefore need to be especially careful.
China nowadays issues on a regular basis a large variety of special commemorative coins made of precious metals such as gold or silver. These coins are not meant for circulation. They are popular as collectables and investments.
Some of these modern coins are modeled after the vault protector coins of ancient times.
In 1998, a gold coin modeled after the “Vault Protector of the Tang Dynasty” discussed above was issued. A gold version of the Emperor Xianfeng vault protector discussed above was minted in 1990. Finally, a gold coin based on a different Emperor Xianfeng vault protector was produced in 1982.
