As can be seen in the image above, the coins have the Chinese inscription 貨泉 (huo quan; 화천 hwacheon). Huo quan coins were cast during the years AD 8-23 of the reign of Wang Mang of the Xin Dynasty.
The bundle of coins was discovered in a rectangular togwang-myo, or earthen tomb, next to a short-necked jar and 78 pieces of blue glass-jade beads.
Some of the more than fifty huo quan coins recovered from the tomb
The announcement on January 18, 2016 by the Research Center of Dolmens in Northeast Asia indicates that the tomb is located in Gwangju, Jeollanam-do Province in the southwest of South Korea.
A total of nineteen huo quan coins had previously been found scattered among various ancient ruins in Korea but this is the first time that such coins had been discovered in a tomb.
The book “Money, Traditional Korean Society” by Won Yu Han mentions that one of these ruins where coins from the Xin (Hsin) Dynasty had previously been found is on Jeju Island.
Most of the coins found in the tomb have a diameter of 2.2 – 2.3 cm although some are as large as 2.6 cm.
The announcement by the Research Center of Dolmens in Northeast Asia concludes that the discovery of Xin Dynasty coins around the Yeongsan River and along the southern coastal regions of South Jeolla Province is evidence that maritime trade routes with the Xin Dynasty existed at the time.
A cute photograph of several young children sorting through ancient Chinese coins accompanied a newspaper article published in the Guiyang Evening News (guiyang wanbao 贵阳晚报) dated August 12, 2015.
Mr. Wang Pinli (王品礼) and his family live in a remote village in Meitan County (湄潭县) which is located in China’s southwest Guizhou Province (贵州省).
The coins, which were discovered buried on the family’s property, have become favorite toys for the children.
According to the newspaper article, rats had become a nuisance. There were several rat holes in the area between the kitchen and the ox pen.
Mr. Wang had filled in the hole with dirt where the rats had their nests but the rats kept returning.
In 1992, Mr. Wang finally decided to dig up the rat nests and completely fill in the holes.
While digging, he discovered a “money pit” 1.5 meters in diameter and 2 meters in depth which was filled with ancient Chinese coins. The “money pit” included coins from the Tang, Song, Ming and Qing dynasties.
There was more than 4,600 catties of coins which is equivalent to about 3 tons. Mr. Wang was able to sell the coins for 3-5 yuan (元) per catty which would be 13,800 – 23,000 RMB ($2,166 – $3,610).
This money was used to take care of the elder members of the family and to send the children to school.
Unearthed coin cache included a sword and copy of Book of Songs
Included in this coin cache was not only Japanese coins (宽永通宝) but also a 50 cm long sword and a copy of the Book of Songs (诗经).
According to a Chinese coin collector interviewed by the newspaper, the Japanese coins were cast beginning 400 years ago and circulated for about 240 years. The coins probably entered China during the late Ming and early Qing dynasties.
These Japanese coins are referred to as wo qian (倭钱) by the Chinese. The imperial court eventually prohibited these coins from entering the country.
The Wang family lives in a very remote and relatively poor mountainous area. They are not aware of any of their ancestors who were businessmen or government officials. It is a mystery who may have owned a sword, would have been in a position to obtain Japanese cash coins, or would have studied ancient Chinese texts such as the Book of Songs.
Mr. Wang can only speculate that one of the ancestors may have been a small-scale businessman who may have worked in a coastal area since that would have been the only place the Japanese coins may have circulated after the imperial court banned their entry into the county.
Still, the children are just happy to play with their “toys” and are not concerned with the mystery of their origin.
The children are not always careful with their “toys”, however, and the coins can be found scattered throughout the house.
More than 4,000 ancient Chinese coins discovered buried in Qianjiang District
Another article involving a cute image of “young numismatists” (coin collectors) was published on September 15, 2015 by the major Chinese internet company Sohu, Inc. (搜狐).
On August 1, 2015, she was collecting wood in the mountain area where she lives.
Unexpectedly, she discovered a hole in which a large quantity of old coins were buried.
The coins weighed about 30 catties which would be more than 4,000 coins.
About 80% of the coins are from the Qing dynasty (1644-1911) including coins frequently found in that area such as kang xi tong bao (康熙通宝), qian long tong bao (乾隆通宝), and xian feng tong bao (咸丰通宝).
Coins from earlier dynasties were found as well. Tang dynasty kai yuan tong bao (开元通宝) coins as well as Song dynasty coins such as jing de yuan bao (景德元宝) and yuan feng tong bao (元丰通宝) were discovered in the hoard. Chong zhen tong bao (崇祯通宝) coins from the Ming dynasty were also found.
The reporter estimated that the coins cover a period of about 1400 years.
According to Ms. Wan Jixiang (万继湘), a 75 year old local villager, this area did not use cash coins in the past and there were no landlords or government officials who lived here who could have accumulated so much money.
Because this remote mountain area has a long history of banditry, some of the villagers speculate that the money may have been buried long ago by bandits (tu fei土匪) on the run.
More than a thousand Tang and Song dynasty coins have been discovered during the restoration of the Cishi Pagoda (cishi ta慈氏塔) located in Yueyang (岳阳), Hunan Province (湖南省), according to an article in the Yueyang Daily (岳阳日报) dated August 21, 2015.
The Cishi Pagoda is a seven-story, eight-sided (octagonal) brick pagoda 39 meters (128 feet) in height.
A major restoration took place in 1066 (宋代治平年间) during the reign of Emperor Yingzong of the Song dynasty (960-1279).
The date of the original restoration was confirmed when a covered alms bowl with the inscription da song zhi ping san nian (大宋治平三年) was discovered during the current restoration. The inscription translates as “the third year of Zhi Ping of the Great Song” which would be the year 1066.
As can be seen in the image above, the pagoda was in very poor shape prior to the current restoration effort which began in April of this year.
The niche containing the coins can be seen at the left of the worker’s gloved hand.
While working on the second story from the top, workers discovered a cache of more than 1,000 ancient Chinese coins hidden in a square niche.
The niche is about 16 cm on a side and about 25 cm deep.
The image above shows the square niche containing the coins.
Coins being removed from the cache
The image to the left clearly shows the small square niche where the coins were buried for almost 1,000 years.
The cache includes coins dating from the Tang and Song dynasties.
Being a flood basin of the Yangze, the size of the lake varies according to the season.
During the Tang dynasty, the people of Yueyang were afraid of a demon that lived in the waters. The demon caused devastating floods and made the people’s lives miserable.
The pagoda was built to provide protection from this demon and all the people of the village donated funds for its construction.
One family in particular had suffered greatly from the water-dwelling demon. All but one member of the family had drowned in the floods. The only surviving family member was a widow. When she heard that a pagoda was to be built, she donated all of her money to the cause.
Also, every day she would bring tea and water to the workers constructing the pagoda.
Unfortunately, the widow died before the pagoda was completed.
In memory of her sacrifice and giving, the pagoda was named Cishi which translates as “the compassionate”.
Mr. Ou Jifan (欧继凡), the Deputy-Director of the Yueyang Municipal Office of Cultural Relics (市文物管理处副主任), stated that an analysis of the coins confirmed that a major restoration of the pagoda had taken place in 1066 during the Song dynasty.
Mr. Ou also explained that there was a tradition of burying coins during the construction and renovation of pagodas. Coins were believed to offer protection to the pagoda, served as a sacrifice to the heavens, and expressed the hope for peace.
The restoration is scheduled to be completed by the end of 2015.
Two enthusiasts of the “salt lake culture” were taking pictures of birds at the Yuncheng “salt lake” (运城盐池) when they accidentally discovered a number of clay moulds (模具) used to cast iron coins (铁钱) during the Northern Song dynasty (北宋 960-1127), according to an article published June 16, 2015 by the Yuncheng News Network (运城新闻网).
Because of its huge quantities of salt, the salt lake has historically been a valuable resource. Beginning in the Tang Dynasty (唐朝 618-907), a “Forbidden Wall” (禁墙) was built around the lake to protect this important source of tax revenue and to prevent stealing and smuggling.
While the wall no longer exists, it is fortunate that a few old and rare photographs have survived which show the wall’s gates.
This photograph, which is in the archives of the Smithsonian Institution (史密森学会), shows one of the wall’s gates seen by the Robert Sterling Clark expedition in 1908-1909. Also, the undated photograph in this article shows the wall’s middle gate (中禁门).
Two bird photographers at the Yuncheng salt lake discover more than 500 clay moulds used to cast iron coins during the Song Dynasty
The image above shows Mr. Jing Xiaoxiong (景晓雄) and Mr. Zhang Xiaobie (张小别) who are credited with discovering the coin moulds at the Yuncheng salt lake.
They recovered more than 500 moulds although many are in poor condition.
Inscriptions on the coin moulds include chong ning tong bao (崇宁通宝), zheng he tong bao (政和通宝) and zheng he zhong bao (政和重宝) written in seal script (篆体), as well as da guan tong bao (大观通宝) and yuan feng tong bao (元丰通宝).
Clay mould used to cast “chong ning tong bao” iron coins during the Song Dynasty
As can be clearly seen in the above image, the inscription is chong ning tong bao (崇宁通宝) which indicates that this mould was used to cast iron coins during the years 1102-1106 of the reign of Emperor Huizong (宋徽宗) of the Northern Song dynasty.
The beautiful calligraphy used for this coin is known as “Slender Gold” script (瘦金书) and was done by Emperor Huizong himself.
Examples of moulds used to cast Northern Song iron coins discovered at Yuncheng’s salt lake
The image above displays 26 of the coin moulds.
The inscriptions are still very distinct.
Several of the better preserved clay coin moulds
The inscriptions on the clay moulds in the image above are identified in the article as “chong ning tong bao (崇宁通宝), zheng he zhong bao (政和重宝), zheng he tong bao (政和通宝), and yuan feng tong bao (元丰通宝)”.
However, the inscription on the mould at the far right appears to me to be da guan tong bao (大观通宝).
The discovery of the coin moulds is actually quite puzzling.
Yuncheng was known as Hedong (河东) in ancient times. According to historical documents, Hedong did not have a mint during the Song dynasty. Furthermore, no ruins of any mint have ever been discovered in the area.
The discovery of the clay moulds will encourage further study of Song dynasty ruins in the Yuncheng area in the search for an ancient coin mint.
The Grand Canal is the longest canal in the world. Construction began in the 5th century BC. The canal runs from Beijing (北京) to Hangzhou (杭州) and links the Yellow River (Huang He 黄河) and the Yangtze River (Chang Jiang 长江).
The Grand Canal beneath the Linqing Bridge. Villagers can be seen digging for coins at the lower left.
Linqing is located about 380 km (240 mi) south of Beijing where the Wei River (卫河) meets the Grand Canal.
During the Ming (明朝 1368-1644) and Qing (清朝 1644-1912) dynasties, Linqing was an important trading center for textiles and grains. It was also famous for its brickyards which produced bricks that were used to build palaces and tombs in the capital.
Linqing’s nightlife was immortalized in the famous Ming dynasty sexually graphic novel Jin Ping Mei (金瓶梅), known in the West as The Plum in the Golden Vase or The Golden Lotus:
The months of June and July are traditionally the dry period along the Wei River. Whenever the water level is low, the villagers take the opportunity to dig for ancient coins on the river bottom.
At the left, villagers can be seen digging for the buried “treasure”. The villager in the red shirt can even be spotted in the image of the bridge above.
The coins recovered are usually from the Ming or Qing dynasties but much older coins are also found.
Qing Dynasty coins dug up in Grand Canal
Shown at the left are the Qing dynasty coins a villager found after only a few minutes of digging.
Even though the coins have been buried for hundreds of years and show surface corrosion, the coin inscriptions can still be easily read.
The inscription on the coin at the top is qian long tong bao (乾隆通宝) which means the coin was cast during the years 1736-1795 of the reign of the Qianlong Emperor (乾隆帝).
The Grand Canal in Suzhou during the Qing dynasty
The photograph above shows the Grand Canal as it existed in Suzhou (苏州) during the Qing dynasty.
Boat trackers towing a boat on the Grand Canal during the Qing Dynasty
When conditions permitted, the boats relied on wind power to move along the canal.
Otherwise, the boats were pulled on ropes by teams of men known as “boat trackers” (纤夫), as can be seen in this Qing dynasty photograph.
Since there usually was no tow-path on the shore, trackers frequently waded through chest deep water in the canal.
The boats and barges had flat bottoms. In bad weather conditions, winds could cause them to overturn and lose their cargoes.
After having been buried for several centuries, some of those cargoes have been recovered and are displayed in the the China Great Canal Museum (中国京杭大运河博物馆) located in Hangzhou (杭州).
Some of more than 40,000 Tang dynasty “kai yuan tong bao” coins excavated from the Grand Canal in 2004
At the left is a small portion of the more than 40,000 Tang dynasty (唐朝 618-907) kai yuan tong bao (开元通宝) coins that are on display at the museum.
These coins were unearthed in 2004 from the Grand Canal in an area near the Da Guan Bridge (大关桥) in Hangzhou.
Close-up of “kai yuan tong bao” coins dug up from the Grand Canal in 2004
A more detailed view of some of the coins is shown here.
As can be seen, the coins are very well preserved despite having been buried for more than 1,300 years.
Large quantities of ancient coins from other dynasties have also been recovered.
Song dynasty coins recovered from the Grand Canal on display at the Zhongce Accounting Museum in Hangzhou
At the left are some of the Song dynasty (宋朝 960-1279) coins that have been unearthed from the canal.
These coins are on display at the Zhongce Accounting Museum (中策财会博物馆) in Hangzhou.
Like the Great Wall (万里长城), the Grand Canal was one of the monumental engineering projects of ancient China, and to this day continues to reveal its history through discoveries of long buried treasures.
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.
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.
Two rare ancient Chinese coins were recently discovered in northwest China’s Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region (宁夏回族自治区) according to an official government website.
Mr. Qi Yuezhang (祁悦章) with the Pengyang County Office of Chronicles Compilation (彭阳县史志办公室) is the author of the article. Based on his more than 10 years experience in cultural relics, he states that the coins are authentic.
The coins were obtained by a local Pengyang County coin collector from a Mr. Hu (虎姓) who lives in Mengyuan Village (孟塬乡).
Rare “Da An Bao Qian” coin from the Western Xia
Shown at the left is a rare coin minted during the Western Xia (xi xia 西夏 1038-1227).
The inscription is written in Tangut (xi xia wen 西夏文) which was the script used by the Tangut people who ruled during the Western Xia.
The inscription (Chinese translation) reads da an bao qian (大安宝钱) and the coin was cast during the years 1075-1085 of the reign (1068-1086) of Emperor Hui Zong (惠宗, 李秉常).
Unfortunately, the images of the coins published with the article are small. However, the coin appears to be the “slanted character” variety (斜字版).
This bronze coin has a blank reverse side and a diameter of 2.4 cm.
Rare variety of “Chun Hua Yuan Bao” coin from the Northern Song Dynasty
The second rare bronze coin, shown at the left, was cast during the years 990-994 of the reign of Emperor Tai Zong (太宗, 赵光义 976-997) of the Northern Song dynasty (959-1126).
The inscription is written in regular script (kai shu 楷书) and reads chun hua yuan bao (淳化元宝).
Chun hua yuan bao coins written in regular script are actually very common.
However, this particular coin is a very rare variety.
The radical (shui 氵), which resembles three vertical dots and is on the left side of the first character chun (淳) at the top of the coin, is “shortened” and does not extend all the way to the bottom of the character.
“Chun” character on common “Chun Hua Yuan Bao” coin
This may be easily seen by comparing the coin’s chun (淳) character with that of a “common” variety of chun hua yuan bao coin as displayed in the image at the left.
The coin is thus known to Chinese numismatists as the “shortened shui” or “shrunken shui” variety (suo shuiban缩水版) and very few authentic specimens are known to exist.
According to legend, Emperor Tai Zong personally did the calligraphy for the chun hua yuan bao coin inscription. For this reason, the coin is known as “royally inscribed currency” (yu shu qian御书钱).
Pengyang County is located in the territory once ruled by the Western Xia and large quantities of both Western Xia and Song dynasty coins have been excavated in the area.
Not surprisingly, more than half of the ancient coins in the collection of the Pengyang County Office of Cultural Relics (彭阳县文物馆) date from the Western Xia and Song dynasty.
The inscription reads ru tu wei an (入土为安) which means “to be laid to rest” or “burial brings peace”.
The coin was not minted to circulate as money but was privately cast as a funerary object. It was buried with the corpse with the hope that the deceased will rest in peace and that the living relatives will have peace of mind.
The coin has a diameter of 2.45 cm and a thickness of 0.13 cm.
Because these coins are not included in catalogues or other Chinese coin references, it is difficult finding authoritative information.
However, an article published in the Xinmin Evening News (新民晚报) in 2007 provides some insight.
The article states that several of these coins were discovered in a grave dating to the late Qing dynasty (1644-1911).
The article also emphasizes the importance the ancient Chinese placed on proper burial of the dead and that coins with the inscription ru tu wei an were placed in graves as a matter of course.
Reverse side of “laid to rest” funerary charm
The coins discovered in the grave had a diameter of 2.4 cm, a thickness of 0.14 cm and a weight of 3.8 grams.
The coins also had a broad rim of 0.3 cm and a fairly small square hole with a diameter of 0.6 cm.
The reverse sides of the coins were blank with no inscription.
Other specimens of this funerary coin may be seen here and here.
In years past, there was some controversy regarding the age of these coins.
The controversy centered on how the Chinese character wei (为) is written in the inscription.
On the coin, the wei is written in simplified Chinese (为) instead of traditional Chinese (為). The argument was that because simplified Chinese did not exist prior to its adoption in 1956, these coins could not date from the Qing Dynasty or earlier.
Research has shown, however, that variant forms of the character wei, including 为, existed at least from the time of the Ming dynasty (1368-1644) so the controversy has been put to rest.
Forum members describe the coins as “really scary” and “horrifying”. Many members state that they would not buy or own such a coin.
One forum member mentioned that because these coins were “put into the mouth of the deceased” during burial, they should be “thrown away because they are unlucky”.
In China today, the tradition of burying the dead has changed. Cemeteries require a great deal of land and with China’s immense population, burials are no longer allowed. Cremation is the law of the land although enforcement, particularly in rural areas, can be lax.
This coin is particularly rare because it is gilded in gold (鎏金) and only a very few gilt bronze (铜质鎏金) tian ce fu bao coins have been discovered.
Ma Yin began minting these coins in the year 911 to commemorate his promotion to the rank of Supreme Commander of the Tiance Prefecture (天策上将军) as bestowed by Emperor Taizu of Later Liang (后梁太祖).
Both the bronze and iron coins have a nominal value of 10 which means they had a denomination equivalent to ten normal size bronze “cash” coins.
The inscription is read in a clockwise fashion (xuan du 旋读) beginning with the top character.
The characters are deeply cut in regular script (kai shu 楷书) and the coin is well-made.
This coin has a distinctive feature. Regarding the tian (天) character at the top, the vertical line connecting the two horizontal strokes is very short. Most of the other coins exhibit a slightly greater distance between the two horizontal strokes. For this reason, the coin is known as the “short neck Tian” (短颈天) variety.
As mentioned above, this very rare coin has a gold coating although the reason why only a few specimens were treated in this manner is unknown.
Gilt tian ce fu bao coins tend to be slightly larger than the plain bronze coins and the iron coins.
This particular specimen has a diameter of 43 mm and weighs 36.6 grams. The width of the square hole is 9.5 mm and the coin has a thickness of 5.5 mm.
The Shanghai Museum also has a gilt tian ce fu bao coin.
According to the Shanghai Museum website, this coin has a tian (天) character above the square hole on the reverse side. The website, however, does not show an image of the reverse side of this coin.
I have learned that the Shanghai Museum actually has three of these very rare gold-gilt tian ce fu bao coins.
A Chinese reference book (中华珍泉追踪录) displays rubbings of both the obverse and reverse sides of these three coins. The rubbings do not show a character on the reverse so I believe the Shanghai Museum website is in error.
Regarding the rarity of the coins, Baidu Baike (百度百科), the online encyclopedia of China’s major search engine, states that among the approximately 40 specimens of bronze tian ce fu bao coins known to exist, only 5 are gilded with gold.
During the 1950’s, a number of banliang (半两) coins were unearthed at a site near Xian (西安). Among the coins was one unusually large and very heavy banliang coin.
While banliang coins cast in Qin (秦) during the Warring States period typically have a diameter of 32 – 34 mm and weigh about 8 grams, this particular specimen is 66 mm in diameter, 7 mm thick, and weighs an astonishing 96.15 grams.
Even more remarkable is that the coin is made of silver instead of bronze.
Mr. Ma Dingxiang (马定祥), one of the most famous Chinese coin collectors of the 20th century, obtained the coin from a friend and fellow numismatist in Xian. Other famous numismatists of the time, including Mr. Luo Bozhao (罗伯昭), Mr. Sun Ding (孙鼎) and Mr. Li Weixian (李伟先), had the opportunity to admire the coin.
This coin is the only known specimen of its type and it is said that Mr. Ma treasured it for the rest of his life.
The coin sold at auction in 2011 for the equivalent of $334,103 (RMB 2,070,000).
Regarding the silver banliang coin, Mr. Guan Hanheng (关汉亨), a well-known Chinese numismatist and author of a book (半两货币图说) on banliang coins, has carefully examined the photographs and rubbings. His findings are discussed below.
Reverse side of a unique silver banliang coin from the State of Qin
The coin clearly shows signs of having been buried for a long period of time. The surface displays the oxidation that would be expected on a coin that had been buried for some 2,000 years. There are small cracks on the reverse side.
Mr. Guan states that this appearance could not have been created artificially.
Even though banliang coins were also cast at the beginning of the Han Dynasty (206 BC – 220 AD), this silver coin matches those cast by Qin.
His reasoning is as follows.
First, coins were cast in two-piece moulds (钱范) in Qin and these moulds could produce 6 coins at a time. The coins have only one sprue.
The casting of this silver coin is consistent with this method. Its sprue (17 mm) is at the bottom which means that it would have been one of the two top coins in the mould.
Second, the shape and appearance of the coin is correct for coins cast in Qin during the Warring States period. The center hole is rectangular, as opposed to the square holes of the Han Dynasty banliang coins, and the top and bottom horizontal lines have bent corners.
The characters are vertically elongated and the top horizontal stroke of the liang (两) character is short. As the script evolved further, the top horizontal line became longer as is seen in banliang coins from the Han Dynasty.
For the above reasons, Mr. Guan is convinced that the coin was minted by the State of Qin.
As to why such a large coin made of silver was cast, Mr. Guan considered several possibilities.
In 221 BC, Qin Shi Huang (秦始皇帝) succeeded in uniting China for the first time in history. Following the unification, he standardized the country’s units of measurement including weights and currency.
It is possible then that this unique silver banliang was cast to serve as an official “weight”.
According to the standard “weights and measures” (度量衡) of Qin, one liang (两) was equivalent to about 14.4 grams. A “ban liang“, which means “half liang” or “half tael”, would therefore be about 7.2 grams.
Mr. Guan did a survey of Qin banliang coins excavated during the past 30 years. The coins weighed 6.5 – 7.5 grams each. This would be within the range of the standard weight of 7.2 grams per coin.
As mentioned earlier, this very large silver banliang weighs 96.15 grams. Taking into consideration that the coin may have lost some weight due to wear and oxidation, its original weight could have been 100 grams or more. This would have been the equivalent of 14 government minted coins of standard weight.
It is possible, therefore, that this silver banliang was cast to serve as an official weight to be used with a scale to confirm that 14 regular banliang coins met the required weight of about 100 grams (100/14 = 7.14).
And, an official coin weight like this could very well have been cast in silver to signify its importance.
However, Mr. Guan feels that the coin was more likely cast for a different reason.
As has been seen with the six character knives (六字刀) produced by the State of Chu (楚), money was sometimes cast to commemorate a special event.
According to Mr. Guan, there were two important events that took place in Qin that could have resulted in the issuance of a commemorative coin.
However, no historical records mention that Qin Shi Huang ordered the casting of a special commemorative coin to mark the occasion.
Also, it is considered significant that Mr. Ma Dingxiang during all the years he owned the coin never personally proposed that it may have been made cast for this purpose.
For this reason and others, Mr. Guan feels that this large silver banliang coin was most likely cast to commemorate the first issuance of banliang coins in 336 BC.
Throughout Chinese history, when a new imperial reign or dynasty was founded, or a new mint was established, a special coin would frequently be produced to mark the occasion. The coin tended to be larger than normal, well-crafted and made of very good metal.
As an example, China’s biggest ancient coin was cast to commemorate the opening of a new mint during the Ming Dynasty.
A special coin produced for these occasions is also known as a “vault protector” (镇库钱). The coin would not circulate as normal currency but was believed to have charm characteristics that would bring good fortune and avert calamity.
In conclusion, Mr. Guan feels that this very large and unique silver banliang coin served as a vault protector and was cast in 336 BC to commemorate the firing of the furnaces that began production of the first banliang coins of Qin.
A large quantity of coins dating to the Tang and Song dynasties was recently unearthed by a large excavator removing silt from a river in Yancheng (盐城市), Jiangsu Province, according to media reports.
At approximately 10:00 AM on March 21, the excavator was dredging a small 6-meter wide river that runs through Longgang Town (龙冈镇) in Yancheng when it uncovered a pile of ancient Chinese cash coins that had been stored in a earthenware pot.
Villagers digging for buried coins
Word of the discovery quickly spread and, as can be seen in the image at the left, many of the local villagers hurried to the site to search for “treasure” buried in the mud.
It is estimated that the villagers recovered 200 – 300 catties (斤) equivalent to about 267 – 400 lbs (121 – 181 kgs) of coins before the authorities arrived on the scene to restore order and protect the “cultural relics” which, according to Chinese law, belong to the state.
Mr. Zhao Yongzheng (赵永正) of the Archaeology Department of the Yancheng Museum (盐城市博物馆考古部) rushed to the scene and provided information on the discovery.
A preliminary investigation, according to Mr. Zhao, identifies the coins as dating to the Tang and Song Dynasties.
Media reports mention that among the coins dug up were kai yuan tong bao (开元通宝) from the Tang dynasty as well as tai ping tong bao (太平通宝), zheng he tong bao (正和通宝), and xiang fu yuan bao (祥符元宝) from the Northern Song dynasty.
“Tai ping tong bao” coin dating from the Song Dynasty found by a Yancheng villager
The image is clear enough that the coin can be identified as a tai ping tong bao (太平通宝) which was cast during the years 976 – 989 of the reign of Emperor Taizong of the Northern Song Dynasty.
“Tian sheng yuan bao” coin from the Song Dynasty
Another coin dug up by a villager can be seen in this image.
The coin is a tian sheng yuan bao (天圣元宝) written in seal script.
Coins with this inscription were cast during the years 1023 – 1031 of the reign of Emperor Renzong of the Northern Song Dynasty.
The newspaper articles contained the image of one additional Song Dynasty coin.
“Zheng he tong bao” coin from the Song Dynasty found by a villager
This coin was cast during the years 1111 – 1117 of the reign of Emperor Huizong of the Northern Song.
Mr. Zhao stated that because the coins were mainly from the Tang and Northern Song dynasties, this coin cache was probably buried at the beginning of the Southern Song dynasty (1127 – 1279).
Several of the village elders were able to provide information in regard to the possible source of the coins.
In the distant past, a temple was situated on the site. The temple was later destroyed but the coins may be linked to the ancient temple.
The village elders also recalled that old coins were discovered in about the same area in 2007.
