Date: Jin (AD 1115-1234)
Dimensions: Length 34.8 cm, Width 21.6 cm
Material: Copper

• Object Type：
  • COINS
• Tag：
  • paper money printing plate zhenyou baoquan wuguan jin copper

Paper currency, as a kind of credit currency, began to appear and to be widely used in the Northern Song and Southern Song, Liao, Western Xia and Jin dynasties. The printing plate Zhenyou Baoquan Wuguan was used to print paper money when Zhenyou Baoquan paper currency was put in practice in the 7th month of the 3rd year of the Zhenyou Period (1215) by the Emperor Zhangzong of Jin. The plate is made of bronze with the characters written reversed. Outside the flower frame on the top of the plate, it is horizontally written with two characters Wu Guan indicating the denomination of the paper money. On the right of the plate, there are two contract seals obliquely placed meaning the printed note can be cashed in the Prefecture of Jingzhao and Prefecture of Pingliang. Wu Guan Ba Shi Mo in the middle of the flower frame means Wu Guan can only exchange for 4,000 (20% off) Wen in accordance with the Sheng Mo (a monetary system in the Song dynasty, according to which, 77 coins were used as 100 coins) system. At the bottom, it is cast with the inscriptions indicating the sphere of circulation, places for exchange of the paper currency, as well as punishment of forgery and the title of the official position in charge of printing and minting. It is an important material data for the research of the development of Chinese ancient paper money and for the study of ancient Chinese movable type printing as well.