The
Pan Liang was the standard coin of the realm in ancient China.
These
Pan Liang coins are from the reign of Emperor Ch'e Wu-ti of the Western
Han Dynasty and were minted from about 140BC to 118BC.. The
design of the coin, a round coin with a square hole became a standard
that
China continued to use for over 2000 years, until 1911AD. The
coins
are remarkably inexpensive considering their age.
In
118BC Emperor Yuan-shou withdrew the Pan-Liang coin and introduced a
new
coin, called the Wu Ch'u (Wu Shu or Wu Chu) It had a value of 5
Shu.
Unlike the earlier Pan Liang coins it had a raised rim to prevent
filing.
The coin proved quite popular, and continued to be issued in various
versions
for the next six centuries! This particular version was issued
during
the Western Han Dynasty, until it was overthrown by Wang Mang in 7AD.
Wang Mang was appointed
regent for the young Chinese Emperor in 7AD. Two years later he killed
the boy and usurped the throne. He attempted major reforms of
China's economy including the abolition of slavery, introduction of an
income tax, redistribution of the land from the land owners to the
peasants, instituted price controls, confiscation of gold, demonetized
existing coins and instituted new ones based on an unbacked fiat
coinage. Despite the execution and exile of thousands, most of
the reforms were not accepted. The economy collapsed, there were
widespread general strikes and massive starvation. In 23AD Wang
was slain and his "reforms" were abolished. In 14AD, as part
of one of his many (unsuccessful) monetary reforms, he introduced a new
coin, called a Hou Ch'uan. The coin remained in use until after
his death, when the Wu Ch’u was restored as the standard circulating
coin of China.
The
K'ai Yuan coin
was introduced by Chinese Emperor Kao Tsu, who founded the Tang Dyansty
in 618AD.
The coins replaced the previously used Wu-Chu and other coins.
The
high quality of the coins and excellent calligraphy set a standard for
Chinese coins for the next 1000 years! The legend on the
coin,
K'ai Yuan Tung Pao translates as "precious currency of the K'ai Yuan
era".
The Tang Dynasty was a brilliant period in Chinese history. It
was
an era of great prosperity and artistry. The K'ai Yuan coin
continued to be issued for the next 300 years, until the collapse of
the
Dynasty in 907AD. During much of the dynasty the coin was
the
only denomination struck. Because of the relatively low value of
the coin and the high level of commerce a LOT of the coins were issued
during that period. (Think of doing all your transactions with only
pennies!)
As a result the coin, though over 1000 years old, is still plentiful
and
inexpensive.
The Northern (Pei) Song (Sung) Dynasty came to power in
960AD. China prospered under its wise Emperors and a competent
and honest civil service. In 1101 Emperor Hui Zong (Hui Tsung)
came to power. An cultured man, poet, painter and avid patron of
the arts, he spent vast sums collecting art, supporting artists, and
building a costly imperial garden. He neglected the affairs
of state. The civil service became increasingly corrupt, the army
weak, and the treasury bankrupt. The Emperor allied himself with the
increasingly powerful Jin (Chin Tarters) of Manchuria to attack and
destroy the neighboring Liao Kingdom. The Jin (Chin), then turned
against him and succeeded in sacking and destroying the weakened Song
Dynasty. Hui Zong was captured, along with most of the Imperial
Court, and died in exile in Manchuria.
The Jen (Chin Tarters) were
a tribe that came out of Manchuria and were ancestors of the Manchu's
who later founded the Qing (Ch'ing) Dynasty. They initially
allied themselves with the Northern Song (Sung) Dynasty, then turned
against their allies, capturing vast amounts of treasure, most of the
Imperial family and by 1127AD controlledmost of Northern China.
For 30 years they continued to use the existing Liao and Song coins in
circulation, along with notes and silver. In 1158 King Hai Ling
Wang, (Wan Yan Liang) set up the first mint of the Dynasty.
The coins were of good quality and bore the as the reign title Zheng
Long (Cheng-Lung). In 1161AD Hai Ling attempted to attack the
remenants of the Song Dynasty in Southern China, known as the Southern
Song (Sung) Dynasty. At the same time he faced the simultaneous
rebellions of the nobles and various tribes in Manchuria. Finding his
forces spread too thin, he was defeated by the Southern Sung and was
assassinated by his own generals in 1161AD.
Hung Wu (Hongwu) was the son of a poor peasant. He
became a Buddhist monk to avoid starvation. He later joined a
group of bandits that attacked the rich and gave to the poor. He
proved to be capable leader and soon took over leadership of a rebel
army that was fighting to overthrow the Mongol of the Yuan
Dynasty. After gaining control over Southern China he proclaimed
himself Emperor in 1368 and founded the Ming Dynasty. He
eliminated potential rivals and soon defeated the Mongols. As Emperor,
he implemented many reforms, including distribution of land to small
farmers, that lead to a new period of prosperity for China.
Anyway, a Ming coin is sure a lot cheaper than a Ming vase!
In 1644 the Manchu Dynasty
overthrew the Ming Dynasty by capturing Peking, the capital of
China. For the next two decades various remnants of the Ming
dynasty attempted to regain control of China. One of the more
notorious of these rebels was Sun K’o Wang (Sun Kewang). We offer a
large 5 Cash coin issued by him shortly after he established his
capital in Yunnan in 1647. He formed a functioning government, however
he was more interested in maintaining his own power rather than
restoring the Ming Dynasty. He kept the imperial family under his
control at an isolated outpost under harsh conditions and fought
against other rebel groups. In 1657 he surrendered to the Manchu’s who
pensioned him off with honorific titles and a comfortable
retirement. The coin bears his reign title on one side and
the denomination on the other. Thought the coin shows little
wear, however it has a heavy crusty patina, so we will call it VG-F.
Ch'ien Lung (Qian-long)
was the the fourth emperor of the Ch'ing
(Manchu) Dynasty, and one of the longest reigning emperors in the
thousands of years of Chinese history. His reign lasted from 1735
until 1796. His military campaigns strengthened Chinese authority
both within the Empire and over its neighbors. He
created a new province, Sinkiang Province, in north-western China,
substantially increasing the size of the Empire. He had 17 sons and 10
daughters by his concubines. He was also a patron of the
arts. He resigned in 1796, turning the Empire
over to his fifth son and died in 1799. This brass 1 cash coin of
Ch'ien
Lung features the Emperors title on one side and the mint mark on the
reverse. The coins are genuine, and despite being over 200 years old,
they are quite inexpensive. Many hundreds of millions of coins were
made during his long and prosperous reign. The coin has long been
popular with practitioners of Feng Shui and I Ching. 
Pu Yi, also known by his
reign title Hsuan-T'ung ascended to the throne of China in 1908 at age
three, upon the death of his uncle, the previous emperor. By this
time however Imperial rule was already collapsing due to repeated wars,
foreign interference and internal misrule. In 1911 the Republic of
China was established, and he was forced to abdicate the throne.
This one cash coin of Hsuan-t'ung was one of the last cast square hole
cash coins to be issued by China. The coin was issued by the Board of
Revenue Mint in Peking. This is the scarce, larger size (24mm)
variety of the coin in nearly original condition. It shows little
or no wear. The coin catalogs for $30 in VF, however our price is
MUCH less.
SILVER DRAGON COIN FROM
CHINA
This silver 20 cent coin featuring the Imperial Chinese
Dragon was issued by the Chinese Province of Yunnan. Yunnan is
located in southern China, along the border with Burma and Vietnam, far
from the Chinese capital. During the years of the Republic
(1911-1949), the province was ruled by local warlords, who followed
their own policies rather than the edicts of the central government.
This is reflected in the provinces coinage. This undated 50 Cent
coin was minted from 1911 until the 1930’s , yet was struck in the name
of Emperor Kuang-Hsu, who died in 1908! The coin featured the
Imperial Chinese Dragon rather than the designs specified by the
Republic. It is an attractive and historic coin issued by this
renegade province.RARE CAST SINKIANG COIN FOR THE
REPUBLIC OF CHINA
Sinkiang province, also
known as Chinese Turkestan, is a large autonomous region in western
China. Shortly after China became a republic in 1912, the Aksu
mint in Sinkiang issued this unusual undated cast copper 10 Cash
coin. The mint did not have modern equipment needed to strike
coins, so they cast the coins using the same basic techniques they had
used for thousands of years to make cast cash coins. The result
was a crude, but passable coin. One side shows the crossed flags
of the Republic of China with legends in Uyghur script, while the other
side has legends in Chinese. It is a rare and unusual coin.gends
in Uyghur script, while the other
side has legends in Chinese. It is a rare and unusual coin.
The Republic of China exerted minimal control over much of Kansu
Province, instead local warlords ruled much of the territory. In
order to pay their troops and purchase supplies, the warlords made
their own coins by making
cast copies of the 1914 100 Cash (Y450) coin from neighboring Szechuan
Province.
The coins were most likely made sometime between 1914 and the mid
1920's
when a formal mint was established and province began to issue its own
coinage.
The coins appear to have been made from brass recovered from melting
imperial
Chinese 1 Cash coins, which were still in circulation. Since it took
about
six 1 cash coins worth of brass to make a single 100 Cash coin, the
enterprise
was quite profitable for the warlord. The coins are crudely cast,
with
a considerable variation in styles and sizes. This is an unusual
and
historic Chinese warlord coin that is rarely offered for sale.
T
BANKNOTES OF THE PRIVATE BANKS OF HONG KONG WWII JAPANESE
PUPPET STATE COIN FOR CHINA WWII FIBER COIN OF JAPANESE OCCUPIED MANCHUKUO SCARCE COIN FROM
MACAO COINS OF TIBETOLD COINS OF ANNAM
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