A villager in Pingquan County (平泉县), Hebei Province (河北省) accidentally discovered a buried clay pot containing about 600 specimens of knife money from the Warring States Period (475 BC -221 BC), according to a dispatch from the China News (中新网) dated May 3, 2013.
Knife money from the ancient State of Yan being unearthed in Hebei
Mr. Wang Yongtie (王永铁), the village chief of Guangxingdian Village (广兴店村), explained that a resident of the village, Mr. Liu Jiafu (刘佳富), discovered the buried money while digging a ditch.
In the image at the left, some of the knives can be seen in the archaeologist’s left hand as he removes the artifacts from the clay pot.
Example of a “ming” knife from the State of Yan
Mr. Wang stated that this is the first time this type of cultural artifact has ever been discovered in the village.
The ming knives were discovered buried in this clay pot
About 600 knives were recovered according to Mr. Chang Wen (常文) who works at the Cultural Relics Protection Bureau of Pingquan County (平泉县问保所).
The knives all have a Chinese character inscribed on them which traditionally has been interpreted to be ming (明).
Although there are other interpretations for this character, this ancient form of money continues to be referred to as “ming knife money”.
Archaeologists have unearthed more than 3,000 coins dating from the Tang Dynasty in the ancient Silk Road city of Kucha (库车县) located in China’s far western region of Xinjiang (新疆维吾尔自治区).*
“Kai yuan tong bao” coin unearthed in ancient “Silk Road” city of Kucha
The China News (中新网), in an article published on April 25, 2013, reports that the Kucha Bureau of Cultural Relics (库车县文物局) was informed of the discovery at a construction site on April 23rd.
A team of archaeologists was dispatched and more than 3,000 coins were recovered.
At the time the report was filed on April 24th, the site was being managed by staff of the Kucha Bureau of Cultural Relics and the Qiuci Bureau of Public Security (龟兹公安分局) and coins were continuing to be dug up.
More than 3,000 Tang Dynasty coins were recovered
Ms. Yin Qiuling (尹秋玲), a cadre with the Kucha Bureau of Cultural Relics, informed the reporter that all the coins have the inscription kai yuan tong bao (开元通宝) and were cast during the Tang Dynasty (618-907) more than 1,300 years ago.
She added that although the coins had been buried for more than a thousand years and had acquired a patina, the inscriptions could still be clearly read.
The coins were found scattered in an area 10 meters long by 5 meters wide.
Ms. Yin stated that Qiuci (Kucha) was an ancient Buddhist kingdom on the ancient Silk Road and that this discovery of such a large number of Tang Dynasty coins is important to the research of the economic, political and historical relationship between Qiuci and Tang Dynasty China.
*Update as of May 2, 2013: News agencies are now reporting that the number of ‘kai yuan tong bao’ coins unearthed is nearly 10,000!
Buried “mountain” of Song Dynasty iron coins seen in field near Cangzhou
The People’s Daily (人民日报) on May 20, 2000 announced that Chinese archaeologists had unearthed a “mountain” of ancient Chinese coins in a field near the city of Cangzhou (沧州) in China’s northern province of Hebei (河北省).
The initial discovery of the buried coins actually dates to 1997.
The coins were made of iron and were stuck together in very large and heavy pieces. Closer examination revealed that the coins were cast during the Song Dynasty (宋朝 960-1279).
But what startled the archaeologists most was the huge number. They initially dug up about 48 tons of the coins.
Tieqian Ku in Cangzhou where the Song Dynasty iron coins are on display
The largest single chunk of coins weighs about 7 tons.
Moreover, it is estimated that an additional 50 tons of the coins are still buried in the ground.
The total find is thus estimated to be about 100 tons.
The archaeologists also discovered that the iron coins had not simply rusted together but showed clear signs of having been melted together.
Why such a large quantity of Song Dynasty iron coins were buried in the area and why they had apparently been melted together in large chunks is a mystery which to this day remains unsolved.
Large chunks of the unearthed iron coins on display
An article in the April 4, 2013 edition of the China Culture Journal (中国文化报) has renewed attention to this discovery and provides some insight into current theories to explain the mystery.
The coins are now displayed at the Tieqian Ku (“Iron Coin Treasury” 铁钱库) in Cangzhou.
According to Ms. Wang Yufang (王玉芳), the Director of the Cangzhou City Bureau of Cultural Relics (沧州市文物局), no historical documents mention the existence of this unusual coin cache.
Larger pieces of fused iron coins on display at the Tieqian Ku in Cangzhou
Ms. Wang says that experts have proposed three possible theories to explain the mystery.
One theory is that the field where the coins were discovered was the site of a Song Dynasty mint.
However, other experts refute this theory because this area of China was a frontier region during the Song Dynasty and the authorities would not have built a mint in such a remote border area.
Ms. Wang proposes a second possible explanation for the find.
In ancient times, Chinese cash coins were typically carried by threading the coins together on a cord or string. A standard unit of 1,000 coins on a string was called a guan (贯).
Some of the Song Dynasty iron coins that were melted together
Close examination of the massive iron coin chunks reveal that the coins were first neatly stacked in rows of guan. There is also clear evidence that the coins were then exposed to fire and melted together.
According to this theory, the coins were transported from other locations to this site in order to be melted down and destroyed.
This very large mass of iron coins was too heavy to be placed in the exhibition hall
Other experts, however, reject this proposition. They say there would not have been any necessity to move such a large quantity of coins to this single location to be destroyed. Also, the effort and expense to do so would not have been worthwhile.
Ms. Wang says that there is a third theory to explain the existence of the huge iron pieces composed of Song Dynasty coins. This theory takes into account the historical background of the times.
The area now known as Hebei was considered the northern border of China during the Tang Dynasty. With the collapse of the Tang Dynasty in 907 AD, the area became divided among several regimes during the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms (五代十国 907-960). The area was not reunited until the reign (923-926) of Emperor Zhuangzong (庄宗) of the Later Tang Dynasty (后唐).
Map showing the Sixteen Prefectures in yellow.The Liao Dynasty is to the north (dark grey) and the Northern Song is to the south (light grey).
What is pertinent to this discussion is that during the Song Dynasty there was much contention for this sixteen prefecture area between Song China and the Liao Dynasty. During the Southern Song, all of this northern region of present day Hebei was abandoned and fell under the rule of the Jin Dynasty (金朝 1115-1234) ruled by the Jurchen (女真).
The third theory takes into consideration the historical reality of the time to explain the existence of the massive chunks of Song Dynasty coins. The iron coins were sent to the area in order to pay for the expenses of the Song army contending for control of the Sixteen Prefectures of Yanyun.
The forces of the Song were eventually defeated. Forced to withdraw from the area, the Song army was faced with having to transport a huge quantity of iron coins. Since transport would have been difficult, and given the necessity for a hasty retreat, the decision was made to abandon the money.
To prevent the money from falling into the hands of the enemy, however, the coins were partially melted down.
According to Ms. Wang, all three theories seem reasonable although many experts are now leaning towards the third theory. She says additional research and discoveries will need to take place before the mystery of the 100 tons of melted Song Dynasty iron coins is fully explained.
It should be noted that the quantity of coins may actually exceed 100 tons. The newspaper articles referenced above do not mention that, since the initial discovery, even more chunks of partially melted Song Dynasty iron coins have been unearthed in the area. Please see “Tons of Song Dynasty Iron Coins Discovered” for coverage of this more recent find.
The ancient town of Ciqikou (磁器口) is part of the municipality of Chongqing (重庆) located in Southwest China.
Ciqikou actually translates as “Porcelain Port” and the town gained prominence during the Ming Dynasty as a prosperous commercial port located on the Jialing River.
Chongqing residents playing mahjong on the Jialing River
The Jialing River (嘉陵江) is a popular spot for the residents of Ciqikou and Chongqing to relax in the outdoors.
There are open-air tea houses located on the banks of the river. People like to sit under umbrellas and play mahjong (麻将). Young couples can be seen strolling along the river banks.
Chinese coin kite
Children enjoy flying kites in the large open spaces.
Due to recent drought conditions, however, the water level of the Jialing River has dropped to such an extent that large portions of the riverbed are now dry and fully exposed.
The bare riverbed has provided the rare opportunity for residents to partake in a new outdoor activity — digging for “treasure” (淘宝).
In this case, the “treasure” refers to old Chinese coins.
Over the centuries, a number of river boats suffered misfortune and sank to the bottom. Some of their treasures, including coins which had been hidden underwater, can now be found scattered among the rocks and mud of the riverbed.
Digging for Chinese coins in the dry Jialing River
Most of the coins being found date from the late Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) to the early years of the Republic.
Old coins and ammunition dug up from the riverbed
As can be seen in the photos, treasure diggers have been able to recover some of the heretofore buried treasure.
While searching for old Chinese coins in a dry riverbed would seem to be a fairly safe activity, the activity in this case is fraught with danger.
This area of the river not only has old Chinese coins but also a large quantity of buried munitions including rifle rounds, grenades, artillery shells and bombs.
During the Second Sino-Japanese War (1937-1945), Chongqing served as the provisional capital of the Republic of China under the leadership of Generalissimo Chiang Kai-shek.
During this time, Chongqing suffered extensively from aerial attacks by Japanese forces. A very large number of bombs dropped by Japanese planes, but which did not explode, are now being exposed after lying under the waters of the Jialing River for so many years.
This same area also saw fighting between the Communist and Nationalist forces during the Chinese Civil War (1927-1950) and large quantities of grenades, artillery shells and other unexploded ordnance (UXO) are buried in the river.
Unfortunately, many people seem to be unaware of the hidden danger in digging for coins in the river.
Local police using a handheld metal detector easily found buried ordnance
According to a recent report, the local police decided to give a demonstration on just how dangerous digging for treasure in the river can be.
As can be seen in the picture at the left, the police officers using a small handheld metal detector were quickly able to locate some hidden explosive materials.
Old hand grenade and mortar round dug up from the riverbed
In just 30 minutes they found a hand grenade and a mortar round.
The police also reported that on the same day a “treasure digger” discovered an unexploded 80 kg bomb buried in the riverbed.
According to the police, these munitions still have the ability to explode and cause massive injury and destruction.
In an attempt to convince the treasure hunters not to dig in the river, the local police explained that it would be very difficult to find any large quantity of old Chinese coins at this time. With the passage of time, the treasures of the ancient shipwrecks have either been washed away or are buried deep underground.
The police also posted a sign urging people not to dig for coins because of the potential danger from the undetonated ordnance and also because any found “treasure” would rightfully belong to the state according to law.
But despite the demonstration and the warning about the hidden explosives, people continue to dig in the river searching for old Chinese coins.
Scientists have discovered a Ming Dynasty coin in Kenya that “proves China was trading with East Africa BEFORE Europeans arrived”, according to a recent newspaper article. The report, which was carried by newspapers around the world, claims that the coin provides evidence that the famous Chinese Admiral Zheng He reached East Africa years before the European explorers.
Ming Dynasty yongle tongbao coin discovered in East Africa
A joint expedition led by Chapurukha Kusimba of The Field Museum in Chicago, and Sloan Williams from the University of Illinois at Chicago, found the 600 year-old Ming Dynasty coin on the island of Manda which is located off of Kenya’s northern coast.
The coin, shown at the left, has the inscription yongle tongbao (永乐通宝) and was cast during the reign (1402-1424) of the Yongle Emperor, also known as Emperor Chengzu (成祖), of the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644).
Zheng He was a eunuch who became China’s most famous maritime explorer.
According to Dr. Kusimba, the curator of African Anthropology at The Field Museum, “Zheng He was, in many ways, the Christopher Columbus of China”.
During the period 1405-1433, Zheng He led seven major maritime expeditions across the South China Sea and Indian Ocean. He also sailed into the Persian Gulf and Red Sea. His sea travels took him as far west as the east coast of Africa.
Comparative size of the ships of Zheng He and Christopher Columbus
Zheng He’s trade missions must have presented a spectacular sight.
Some of the ships were very large. His fleet consisted of more than 200 ships including about 28,000 men.
These vessels departed Chinese ports carrying not only the yongle tongbao coins, but also silver, gold, silk and blue-and-white porcelain.
While the report emphasized that this coin “may ultimately prove (Zheng He) came to Kenya”, the significant role the yongle tongbao coins played as the international currency of the time was not addressed.
Surprisingly, the traditional Chinese “cash coin” with a square hole in the middle was not the major form of money during the Ming Dynasty.
In fact, the production of cash coins actually ceased in 1393.
Ming Dynasty China relied instead on paper money and silver as the primary forms of money.
The situation changed beginning in 1405 when the Yongle Emperor ordered Zheng He to set sail on the Western Seas in order to expand political, economic and cultural ties with the countries of Southeast and South Asia.
In 1408, the Yongle Emperor ordered that traditional cash coins again be produced. The coins were cast at mints in Beijing, Nanjing, Zhejiang, Guangdong and Fujian. The coins were to carry the inscription yongle tongbao.
It is important to note that the coins were not produced to circulate within the country since China continued to rely on paper money and silver as the dominant forms of currency. The coins were specifically made for use in foreign trade and to be bestowed as rewards.
These coins were minted because many countries in the Orient liked to use the traditional Chinese cash coins as their circulating form of money. The areas included Indonesia, the Malay Peninsula, Singapore, Thailand, India and Sri Lanka. Even today, large quantities of Chinese cash coins are still being unearthed in these countries.
Korea and Vietnam also used Chinese cash coins for a very long period of time and these coins are still being unearthed in these countries with quantities sometimes being several tens of tons.
Japan imported large quantities of Ming Dynasty coins including both yongle tongbao and hongwu tongbao (洪武通宝) coins.
Since the coins were primarily used only for foreign trade, very few yongle tongbao coins are found in archaeological digs within China’s borders. It is not uncommon for buried coin hoards dating from the Ming Dynasty to not include a single yongle tongbao coin.
On the other hand, coin hoards dating from the Ming era unearthed in neighboring countries frequently include yongle tongbao coins.
Such discoveries provide strong evidence that these coins were produced primarily for use in foreign trade.
The newspaper article, however, contains several puzzling statements.
For example, the coin is described as being made of “copper and silver”.
According to a research article entitled “An Investigation of the Using of Brass in Casting Coins in Ancient China” (我国古代黄铜铸钱考略) included in “A Collection of Chinese Numismatic Theses” (中国钱币论文集) published in 1992, an analysis of a number of yongle tongbao coins showed that they were composed of the following metals: copper (Cu) 63-90%, lead (Pb) 10-25%, tin (Sn) 6-9% and zinc (Zn) 0.04-0.18 %.
As can be seen, the coins have no silver content.
Another questionable statement in the newspaper article describes the coin as having “a square hole in the center so that it could be worn on a belt”.
Unless there is some pertinent information missing from the article, this coin was not minted so that it could be worn on a belt.
But despite all the hoopla accompanying the announcement of the discovery, the truth is that this was not the first time a yongle tongbao coin had been found in the area.
Yongle tongbao coin unearthed by Kenyan and Chinese archaeologists in Malindi in 2010
The BBC reported in 2010, more than two years earlier, that a yongle tongbao coin had been unearthed by a team of Kenyan and Chinese archaeologists at a village just north of Malindi on Kenya’s north coast.
In the BBC article Professor Qin Dashu of Peking University states that “these coins were carried only by envoys of the emperor, Chengzu (Yongle Emperor)”.
The discovery of the coin at Malindi was particularly intriguing because Chinese historical records mention that Zheng He brought back to China a giraffe from Malindi. The Chinese believed that the giraffe was the mythical Chinese qilin known in the West as the “Chinese unicorn”.
Nevertheless, the recent discovery in Kenya of a second yongle tongbao coin provides additional evidence that Zheng He and the Chinese were trading in this part of the world years before Vasco da Gama arrived in Malindi and Kenya in 1497-1498.
It is not by accident that both Chinese coins discovered in Kenya are yongle tongbao coins. The yongle tongbao coin was produced specifically for use in foreign trade and during the early 15th century served as the de facto “international currency” for much of the region.
Construction site in Hunan Province where Tang, Song and Yuan dynasty coins were unearthed
On February 20, 2013 workers digging at a construction site in Chenzhou City (郴州市) located in Anren Prefecture (安仁县) in the southeastern part of Hunan Province (湖南省) unearthed a money pit dating back some 700 years according to Chinese newspaper reports.
The money pit contained approximately 7.5 kg of coins from the late Song (960-1279) and early Yuan (1280-1368) dynasties.
The construction site can be seen in the photo at the left. The oval shows a close-up of the money pit and the arrow points to where the discovery was made.
Some of the coins discovered in the Hunan coin pit
Well-preserved small and large coins from the money pit
On February 22nd, the China News Service dispatched a news team to Chenzhou City to cover the story.
The video broadcast includes commentary in Chinese. But even if you do not understand Chinese, you will see images of the construction site where the coin hoard was unearthed. The video shows archaeologists cleaning and examining the coins. There are also short interviews with Mr. Cai Ning (蔡宁) of the Anren Prefecture Cultural Relics Administrative Office (安仁县文物管理所) and Mr. Duan Bangqiong (段邦琼) of the Anren Prefecture Bureau of Culture, Broadcasting and the Press (安仁县文广新局).
The print media, as well as the China News Service, mention that some of the coins in the cache are considered to be fairly scarce. Among these are the jing yuan tong bao (景元通宝) and the chun hua tong bao (淳化通宝).
Coins with the inscription jing yuan tong bao (景元通宝) are believed to have come from Annam (Vietnam) although it is still uncertain as to when these coins were actually cast.
What would definitely be the greatest find from the money pit, however, would be chun hua tong bao (淳化通宝) and xian ping zhong bao (咸平重宝) coins.
During the reign of Emperor Tai Zong of the Northern Song Dynasty, a large number of chun hua yuan bao (淳化元宝) coins were cast during the years 990-994. As far as I have been able to determine, however, there are no historical records documenting a chun hua tong bao (淳化通宝) version of this coin and no authentic specimens are known to exist.
Emperor Zhen Zong of the Northern Song issued coins with the inscription xian ping yuan bao (咸平元宝) during the years 998-1003. However, I am not aware of any historical records of a xian ping zhong bao (咸平重宝) coin ever being cast during his reign. This coin is not included in the major Chinese coin catalogs.
Coins are one of the most easily recognized symbols of prosperity and good fortune and China, being one of the first countries in the world to use coins, has a monetary history going back more than 2,500 years.
It is not surprising then that Chinese banks also like to use ancient Chinese coin symbols in the design of their logos.
The People’s Bank of China Logo
The People’s Bank of China (PBC 中国人民银行) is China’s central bank responsible for monetary policy and the regulation of financial institutions.
The bank logo, shown above, displays a simple geometric form on the left side.
This red triangular design is actually based on a very ancient Chinese form of currency known as spade money (bubi 布币).
Spade Money from Warring States Period
An example of spade money used by the ancient State of Liang (400 BC – 300 BC) during the Warring States Period of the Zhou Dynasty is shown at the left.
As can be seen, the logo design is actually composed of three of these “spade” coins arranged feet-to-feet.
What is also interesting about the design is that it is in the shape of a “人”. The interior “hole” of the logo has this same “人” shape.
The “人” resembles the Chinese character ren (人) which means “man” or “person”. Since there are two of these “人” the meaning is “people”. “People” (renmin 人民) is the key word in the bank’s name (The People’s Bank of China) and thus the logo, in an auspicious red color, is a very clever design combining China’s ancient money heritage with the name of the bank.
Chinese Cash Coin
When most people think of old Chinese coins they think of the traditional round bronze coin with a square hole in the middle popularly referred to as a “cash coin“. Chinese cash coins were used for more than 2,000 years.
This cultural icon is incorporated in the logo design of a number of major banks.
Bank of China Logo
The Bank of China (BOC 中国银行) is one of the big four state-owned commercial banks of China.
The bank’s logo includes the archetypal cash coin.
Instead of a simple square hole in the middle, however, the design uses a stylized version of the Chinese character zhong (中). Zhong means “middle”, as in “middle kingdom”, and here represents the first character in the Chinese word for “China” (zhongguo 中国). This simple modification to the universally recognized cash coin symbol thus becomes the logo for the “Bank of China”.
But in this case, the central hole of the cash coin is in the shape of the Chinese character “工”.
The character gong (工) translates as “commercial” which is part of the bank’s name. The character also resembles a capitalized “i” in English and thus represents the word “industrial”. The “center hole” therefore expresses the essence of the bank’s name, the “Industrial and Commercial Bank of China”.
China Construction Bank Logo
The logo for the China Construction Bank (CCB 中国建设银行) uses not one but two Chinese cash coins. The two coins are placed side-by-side with a slight overlap to give a three-dimensional effect.
Also, a small piece has been removed from the circular design so that the coins look like two of the English letter “C”. The two “C’s” stand for “China Construction”. The two attached coins in the design can be seen as a “construction” which reinforces the name, “China Construction Bank”.
Huaxia Bank Logo
The logo of the Hua Xia Bank (HXB 华夏银行) is another interesting variation of the Chinese cash coin theme.
As seen here, the “coin” is actually the white space enclosed by an auspicious red border. A gray square in the middle helps define the white space as the cash coin.
5,000 Year Old Jade Dragon from Hongshan Culture
The distinctive shape of this red border actually represents an ancient cultural artifact that was unearthed in 1971 at a site in Inner Mongolia.
The object, shown at the left, is a jade carving of a dragon from the Hongshan Culture (hongshan wenhua 红山文化) and was created some 5,000 years ago during China’s Neolithic Period (New Stone Age).
The dragon symbolizes the Chinese people and culture.
This jade carving has the distinction of being the oldest representation of a dragon ever discovered. As such, it is considered a national treasure and is now in the collection of the National Museum of China (中国国家博物馆).
The logo of the Hua Xia Bank perhaps best represents the ancient Chinese money theme popular among Chinese banks. Not only does it include the Chinese “cash coin” in its design but it also displays an easily recognized artifact representing China’s 5,000-year-long history.
They have long enjoyed a reputation for being skilled traders and competent warriors. They have strikingly beautiful homes, carve large and imposing totem poles, and wear highly decorated ceremonial clothing made of bird feathers and animal pelts.
The Tlingit believed that these old Chinese coins, made of bronze or brass and having a square hole in the middle, would provide protection from knives and bullets when fighting territorial wars against other tribes or the Russians.
Some of these historic garbs, such as the one pictured above, are now in collections of such major museums as the American Museum of Natural History in New York.
As can be seen, this moose-hide garment is covered with many old Chinese “cash” coins sewn on with sinew.
Tlingit body armor with Chinese coins in chevron pattern
Sometimes the coins would be in chevron patterns on the chest as shown on the garment at the left.
Some warrior garments are completely covered with overlapping coins.
The Tlingit believed that the coins would provide protection from bullets. There is some anecdotal evidence that such body armor was in fact effective in a battle with the Russians in the year 1792. According to Russian historical accounts, “bullets were useless against the Tlingit armor”.
Of course, it may have been that the armor was more effective in terms of psychological warfare then in actually providing protection from bullets. Russian smoothbore muskets at the time were notorious for being unreliable and inaccurate.
Dancing cape with Chinese coins
Besides used as armor on warriors clothing, the ancient Chinese coins were also used as decorations on Tlingit ceremonial robes and masks.
Chinese coins can be seen hanging from the top row fringe on the Gitxsan dancing cape shown at the left. The coins made noise whenever the wearer moved.
The Chinese coins were believed to symbolize wealth from a great power in a foreign land and as such enhanced the prestige of the owner by providing proof of his success in trade.
The Tlingit body armor and ceremonial robes tended to use coins only from China’s Qing Dynasty (1644-1911).
In particular, coins cast during the reigns of the Shunzhi Emperor (顺治帝 1643-1661), the Kangxi Emperor (康熙帝 1661-1722), and the Yongzheng Emperor (雍正帝 1722-1735) were preferred because these coins tended to be larger and heavier than coins cast during the time of the Xianfeng Emperor (咸丰帝 1850-1861) and later emperors.
The coins used to make the warrior and ceremonial garments were obtained from maritime merchants who traded the coins for Tlingit animal skins which they then exchanged with the Chinese for tea, silk and porcelain.
Old Chinese coins have historically been used for a number of purposes other than currency. The Chinese used them as good luck charms, ground them up for use in traditional Chinese medicine, and used them to predict the future. The Tlingit, an indigenous people living on another continent, discovered yet another use for these coins as body armor.
For additional information on ancient Chinese coins, the Tlingit and their body armor, trade between the Russians and the Tlingit, and possible evidence of a controversial theory regarding worldwide exploration by early Chinese explorers, please see an article published by Discovery News and NBC News entitled “Ancient Chinese Coin Brought Good Luck in Yukon“.
I am honored to have been interviewed for the news article because I had the rare opportunity to be the person the Canadian archaeologists contacted to identify the old Ming and Qing dynasty coins unearthed at the pre-gold rush site in the Yukon.
A large quantity of Tang Dynasty kaiyuan tongbao (开元通宝) coins were recently unearthed at an 1,100-year-old temple in Quanzhou (泉州), Fujian Province (福建省), according to a local newspaper report.
Fuhaiyuan Temple in Quanzhou where Tang Dynasty coins were unearthed
Construction of the Fuhaiyuan (福海院) Temple in Anxi Prefecture (安溪县) began in the year 900 AD.
The temple still has such ancient cultural artifacts as a horse-trough, a medicinal vat, and a stone bathing tank.
But during a recent renovation of one of the rear halls, a buried jar containing 27.5 kilograms of ancient Chinese coins was discovered.
Kaiyuan Tongbao coins totaling 27.5 kg discovered at Fuhaiyuan Temple
All the coins have the inscription kai yuan tong bao (开元通宝) which were first cast during the Tang Dynasty (618-907 AD).
Experts are not sure as to why the coins were buried.
Ms. Lin Meilian (林美莲), a local official, speculates that although Fuhaiyuan would have been considered one of the larger temples during the Tang Dynasty, the coins may have been buried “to provide for a rainy day”.
Although it is not included in most Chinese coin catalogs, this coin is known as the “King of Qing Dynasty Coins” (清钱之王).
Chinese coin collectors refer to it as the “daqing one hundred” (daqing yibai 大清壹百).
It is a denomination “100 cash” (壹百) coin cast at the Fuzhou (福州) mint during the reign (1850-1861) of the Xianfeng Emperor (咸丰帝) of the Qing Dynasty (大清).
It is an extremely rare pattern coin and is the only specimen in existence.
The coin was owned by Mr. Ma Dingxiang (马定祥), who was regarded as one of the most famous Chinese numismatists of the 20th Century, and when it was auctioned in 2009 it became the most expensive ancient Chinese coin ever sold up to that time.
Xianfeng had to contend with a number of challenges during his reign. The country’s economy was crumbling and he faced serious military challenges with the Taiping Rebellion (太平天国运动) and the Nien Rebellion (捻军起义).
He also suffered a humiliating defeat by the British and French forces in the Second Opium War (第二次鸦片战争).
To pay the huge military expenditures, Xianfeng issued a large quantity of paper money (Hu Bu Guan Piao 户部官票, Da Qing Bao Chao 大清宝钞) although the empire’s silver reserves were woefully inadequate to back the new currency. He also reduced the size and weight of the common “one cash” coins, and even issued iron coins, in order to save copper which was in short supply due to the supply lines from Yunnan Province being disrupted by the wars.
Finally, he began to issue large denomination coins (大钱) although the copper metal content did not reflect their increased value. These large coins included denominations of 4 cash, 5 cash, 10 cash, 20 cash, 30 cash, 40 cash, 50 cash, 80 cash, 100 cash, 200 cash, 500 cash and 1000 cash.
Among the various mints, the Fuzhou mint was noted for casting many varieties of these larger denomination coins with local characteristics.
For example, the obverse inscription on this coin is xian feng tong bao (咸丰通宝).
The mints, however, were supposed to use the term tong bao only for the small “one cash” coins. Coins with denominations “5 cash” to “50 cash” were to use the term zhong bao (重宝). Coins valued at “100 cash” to “1000 cash” were to be called yuan bao (元宝).
If the Fuzhou mint had followed the directives from the central authorities, the inscription on this “100 cash” pattern coin would have been xian feng yuan bao (咸丰元宝)
Reverse side of rare Qing Dynasty 100 cash pattern coin
Other special characteristics may be seen on the reverse side.
The inscription at the top reads da qing (大清) meaning Qing Dynasty or the “Great Qing”. At the bottom is the denomination yi bai (壹百) which translates as “one hundred” or the equivalent of 100 cash coins. To the right and left of the square hole are the Manchu characters pronounced boo fu identifying the mint in Fuzhou.
This coin is unusual in that the inscriptions state not only the reign title (xian feng), the denomination (100 cash) and the mint name (Fuzhou), but also the dynasty name (da qing).
The calligraphy is outstanding and is in a style used by the Fuzhou mint known as “mountains and valleys” (shanguti 山谷体).
This very rare pattern coin, which was never put into circulation, is large, heavy and very well cast. The diameter is 7.25 cm and the weight is 197 grams.
This coin, which was one of the prominent pieces in the collection of Ma Dingxiang, sold at the Guardian Auction on November 11, 2009 for about US$314,000 (RMB 1.96 million). At the time, this was the highest price ever paid for an ancient Chinese coin.
Many reproductions and fakes exist of this beautiful one-of-a-kind coin but the only authentic specimen now resides in the collection of the Jin Quan Coin Museum (金泉钱币博物馆).
Old Chinese charm with inscription “May your happiness be according to your wishes”
The Chinese love visual puns.
The old charm displayed at the left recently appeared in a Chinese coin forum.
Although the quality of the images may not be the best, the symbols on the reverse side of the charm are a good example of a visual pun also known as a rebus.
The inscription on the obverse side is ji qing ru yi (吉慶如意) which translates as “may your happiness be according to your wishes” or, alternatively, “may you achieve a rank according to your wishes”.
Reverse side of charm displaying a halberd, stone chime and sceptre
The reverse side of the charm presents a visual puzzle consisting of three objects.
The stone pieces were of different sizes and produced different pitched sounds when struck with a mallet.
These chime stones were frequently made of jade and therefore also symbolize wealth and riches.
Below the square hole is a sceptre which in ancient times represented power and authority. In Chinese, this sceptre is known as a ruyi (如意).
The visual pun is thus complete because the three objects displayed on the reverse side of the charm read ji qing ruyi (戟磬如意). This sounds exactly the same as the ji qing ruyi (吉慶如意) inscription on the obverse side even though the Chinese characters are different.
This charm dates from the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) and cleverly illustrates the Chinese fondness for auspicious visual puns.
Additional information on charms with this theme may be found here.
Chinese archaeologists recently excavated approximately 3,500 kilograms of coins, as well as more than 100 clay coin casting moulds, from the ruins of an ancient Chinese mint dating from the 1st Century AD according to several newspaper reports.
The coins were found at a site in the town of Huoluochaideng (霍洛柴登) in Ordos City (鄂尔多斯) which is located in north China’s Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region (内蒙古自治区).
The discovery was made after local police cracked three theft cases in August, 2012. Information obtained from the tomb robbers identified the location of three underground vaults, according to Lian Jilin, a researcher with the regional Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology.
According to archaeologists, the ruins of the coin mint dates to the period from the reign of Emperor Wu (武帝 156-87 BC) of the Western Han Dynasty (西汉) to the reign of Wang Mang (王莽 9-23 AD) of the short-lived Xin Dynasty (新朝).
The newspaper article states that the discovery of such a large quantity of coins in one hoard is a rare event.
Unfortunately, none of the newspaper articles include photos of the discovery.
The digging is taking place at three pits. One site has revealed a fairly well-preserved kiln which was used to produce the clay moulds needed to cast the bronze coins. A kiln used to cast the coins was also discovered but it apparently is not as well-preserved.
In the “kiln room” and surrounding area were found more than 100 clay moulds used to cast coins. The moulds date from the period of Wang Mang. Seven of the moulds have the Chinese inscription shi jian guo yuan nian san yue (始建国元年三月). Shi jian guo (始建国) refers to the first era of Wang Mang’s reign. The inscription thus dates the coin moulds to the third month of the first year of Wang Mang’s reign which would be the year 9 AD.
The clay moulds include those used to cast the most common coins of the reign of Wang Mang, namely da quan wu shi (大泉五十 “large coin fifty”), xiao quan zhi yi (小泉直一 “small coin value one”), and huo quan (货泉 “wealth/money coin”).
The archaeologists point out that the discovery of such a large coin producing operation confirms that Wang Mang had lifted the order issued by Emperor Wu which prohibited the commanderies (prefectures) from minting coins.
Because the discovery was made so late in the year and with the winter conditions, it is unclear at this time what may ultimately be discovered at the two other sites.
Based on the size of the mint site and the coin hoard, Huoluochaideng must have been one of the important northern cities during the Western Han and Xin Dynasties. From the inscription found on a bronze seal discovered in a nearby grave, the area was known as the “West River Agriculture Commandery” (西河农令) during this period.
