Spade coin is a kind of money shaped like a spade. And those flat-shouldered, arc-footed and hollow-socket ones were cast and issued by the royal family of Zhou in the Spring and Autumn and the Warring States periods, including large, middle and small sizes. It is more common to see a single character inscribed on such coins instead of two or more than two characters. There are different explanations for the inscriptions with some suggesting the names of some places, others regarding them as the names of a clan or the craftsmen. This coin with five characters cast by royal family of Zhou in the Spring and Autumn period is a rare treasure.
The Zhu Liang monetary system which had been used as the name and unit of the currency was abolished in the 4th year of Wude Period of the Tang dynasty (AD 621). The monetary system of Bao Wen began in practice, with Tong Bao, Zhong Bao used as names for the currency and Wen as the unit.
With the development of a commodity economy in the Tang dynasty, the demand for copper coins surged. But since the mid-Tang dynasty, copper coins became in increasingly short circulation on the market. In the 5th year of Huichang Period (845), Emperor Wuzong of the Tang dynasty implemented the law of ‘Buddha Abolishment’ to collect the bronze statues of Buddha and bronze wares all over the country to cast coins of Kaiyuan Tongbao. Because most of the coins of Kaiyuan Tongbao were minted with the names of prefectures, different from other Kaiyuan coins, they were thus called as Huichang Kaiyuan. In addition to the prefecture name Lan, there are three balls of clouds on the back of the coin, which is quite rare among Huichang Kaiyuan coins.
In 221 BC, Qin Shi Huang unified the whole country and stipulated that gold was the upper grade currency and ‘Banliang coin’ the lower grade to be in circulation as the country's legal tender. The early Han continued to mint Banliang coins and used gold to measure the currency value.
U-shaped ingot (horseshoe ingot) refers to the gold currency shaped like a horseshoe. According to historical records, U-shaped ingot was minted in the second year of Taishi of Emperor Wu of Western Han (95 BC) as an auspicious sign. Gold currency at that time was generally used for large transactions.
The early Han witnessed several changes to the Banliang coin system, as a result of which, coins of different weight were cast successively. Since the 5th year of Yuanshou (118 BC), Western Han successively cast Junguo Wuzhu coin, Chize Wuzhu coin and Shanglin Sanguan Wuzhu coin and put them in circulation. Wuzhu coins then became the main currency in circulation during the Western Han and Eastern Han dynasties. Among them, the casting of the Shanglin Sanguan Wuzhu coin marked the return of the right to mint coinage to the central authorities and the final establishment of the Wuzhu coin system.
This coin, also known as ‘Jin Cuo Dao (knife inlaid with gold)’ or ‘Cuo Dao (knife money)’ was cast during the first momentary reform in the 2nd year after Wang Mang took power (AD 7). This coin has a unique form, with a round head and a square hole on the top and a knife shape at the bottom. The head part is inlaid with Yi Dao above and below the square hole separately, while the lower part is inlaid with the characters Ping Wu Qian, meaning this coin is worth five thousand small copper coins. Wang Mang carried out monetary reforms four times successively during his reign, all of which ended in failure. Despite of that, the coins cast during this period feature exquisite workmanship and elegant calligraphy, highly cherished by coin collectors.
The Zhu Liang monetary system which had been used as the name and unit of the currency was abolished in the 4th year of Wude Period of the Tang dynasty (AD 621). The monetary system of Bao Wen began in practice, with Tong Bao, Zhong Bao used as names for the currency and Wen as the unit.
With the development of a commodity economy in the Tang dynasty, the demand for copper coins surged. But since the mid-Tang dynasty, copper coins became in increasingly short circulation on the market. In the 5th year of Huichang Period (845), Emperor Wuzong of the Tang dynasty implemented the law of ‘Buddha Abolishment’ to collect the bronze statues of Buddha and bronze wares all over the country to cast coins of Kaiyuan Tongbao. Because most of the coins of Kaiyuan Tongbao were minted with the names of prefectures, different from other Kaiyuan coins, they were thus called as Huichang Kaiyuan. In addition to the prefecture name Lan, there are three balls of clouds on the back of the coin, which is quite rare among Huichang Kaiyuan coins.
Jushi Gaochang dynasty, founded in 499, was taken by the Tang dynasty in the 14th year of the Zhenguan Period (640). The currency they had used previously was made of gold, silver and copper. Most of the coins of Gaochang Jili were unearthed in the Xinjiang region. The coins were also found in the 16th year Zhenguan Tombs, No. 519 Ancient Tomb at Astana in Turpan Xinjiang in 1973, which indicated that coin of Gaochang Jili was the coin cast by Jushi Gaochang dynasty before the unification of Xinjiang by the Tang dynasty. This kind of coin, heavy and thick, inscribed with official script, is deeply influenced by the currency of the Central Plains.
Gold and silver money and bullion were generally not in circulation in the Tang and Song periods, but mainly used for reward, tax payments, etc. All the known gold bars were minted in the Southern Song dynasty. The bars were different in length. Usually a 12 cm gold bar weighed approximately one Liang at that time and was mainly used for reward, tax payments, hedging, deposit and commercial payments. This gold plate also weighs one Liang. It is stamped with Chen Er Lang Shi Fen Jin and Tie Xian Xiang. ‘Chen Erlang’ is the name of the artisan; ‘Shi Fen Jin’ refers to the relative purity of the gold bar; and ‘Tie Xian Xiang’ is the street name of the capital Lin'an of the Southern Song, also referring to the geographic location of the goldsmith.
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.
In the 13th year of the Zhiyuan Period (1276), after the Yuan army conquered the Southern Song and returned to Yangzhou, Prime Minister Bo Yan ordered a search of the outfits of the officers and soldiers. The silver ferreted out was cast into ingots, 50 Liang each. The ingots were tribute to the Emperor, who then granted them to the officers and soldiers to make them circulate in the market. Later, the government also began to cast it. The silver ingots of this kind unearthed today are all marked with the date of the 14th year of Zhiyuan Period, with the official titles of the casting units and the names of the artisans stamped. The quantity of the ingots found is small. The ingot was called Yuan Bao (shoe-shaped silver ingot) since it was incised with the words Yuan Bao on the back and later this became an alternate name for ingot.
Copper coins were mainly minted in the early Ming dynasty while paper currency was only in practice later on. With the collapse of the paper currency system, copper coins were in circulation again. Daming Tongxing Baochao (the general banknote of the Great Ming) was the only paper currency in the Ming dynasty, put in practice in the 25th year of the Hongwu Period (AD 1392), denominated in different values but with the same size.
The traditional square-holed round coins were gradually replaced by machine made coins during the late Guangxu reign period. Anhui province began to mint Ten Cents Equivalent coins in the 28th year of Guangxu period (AD 1902). The copper coins of Five Cents Equivalent and Twenty Cents Equivalent began to be minted only after the 30th year of the Guangxu period (AD 1904). The ten wen square-holed copper coin minted in Anhui province during the Guangxu period was made of pure copper. Unlike other copper coins, this piece, with a square hole in the center, which is very rare in existence, was supposed to be a trial-product of the time.
Silver was generally cast into the silver ingot in the Qing dynasty and put in circulation in the tael system, in two different forms: real and virtual silver. It was extremely inconvenient in practice due to the fact that different forms and criteria of arbitrage transaction rates were applied in different regions and conversion was needed frequently in the process. During the Daoguang reign period, silver coins forged by imitating foreign machine made coins appeared in today’s Fujian and Taiwan areas. In the 10th year of the Guangxu period, Jilin province initiated the production of machine made coins. In the 16th year of the Guangxu period (AD 1890), Guangdong began to cast a new silver coin—Guangxu Yuanbao. Since then, all the provinces began to cast it one after another and put it in circulation together with the silver tael.
This coin got its name for the character ‘Shou (longevity)’ inscribed in official script on the back. The denomination is Kuping One-teal (the benchmark for taxes and levies of the Qing government). It has two major versions classified by the positive and negative lines of wings of the bat carved on the front side. It was said that this kind of coin was cast in Guangdong in the 31st year of Guangxu period (AD 1905) for the celebration of Empress Dowager Cixi's 70th birthday, therefore only few were handed down.
The Taiping Rebellion took place in the first year of the Xianfeng period of the Qing dynasty (1851) and failed in 1864. Various circulated coins of different sizes and those for Treasury House and reward were cast during the rebel period. The coins minted for the latter purpose were generally decorated with auspicious patterns like double dragons, double phoenix and eight treasures, so they were called Hua Qian meaning money with decorative design. Carved with Taiping Tianguo (Taiping Heavenly Kingdom) on the front and Sheng Bao on the back, this coin is thick and solid. Few are extant.
Great Qing Banknote was a kind of paper currency issued in the 3rd year of the Xianfeng period (1853) by the Qing government with eight denominations. Because it could be converted to copper coins, it was also known as ‘copper cash’. This Great Qing Banknote issued in the 7th year of the Xianfeng period with the denomination of hundred thousand Wen is very rare.
The Qing government successively issued various kinds of paper currency, such as Shunzhi Banknote, Great Qing Banknote, official banknote of Ministry of Revenue, and Bank Exchange Certificate of the Great Qing (Ministry of Revenue) and so on. Various kinds of paper currency were also issued from the official finance departments, various banks and private financial institutions. After 1840, foreign financial forces began pouring into China by setting up banks and issuing paper money in the country.
The International Banking Corporation was the former name of Citibank of the United States. Citibank was founded in 1812 and the then English name was International Banking Corporation. In January 1927, it changed its name to The National City Bank of New York after merging with National Bank of New York. China began issuing paper currency in 1907 in dollar and tael banknotes. This one dollar note issued in1909 was first issued in Guangzhou.
Stack casting was a main method to mint coins from the Qin and Han dynasties to the Northern and Southern Dynasties. With the stacked pottery fan (mold for casting copper coins), over a hundred of coins could be minted at a time. The production efficiency was higher than vertical casting with sectional molds. This is a mold case for Wuzhu coins minting in the 17th year of the Jianwu period (AD 41). It can be used repeatedly to cast the pottery mold cases. There is the date and other inscriptions on the back of the mold. Wuzhu coins began to be minted in the 16th year of the Jianwu period of Eastern Han (AD 40). This case, dated the 17th year of the Jianwu period, is very valuable for the study of coin minting in the Eastern Han dynasty.
China has a very long history of money circulation. It went through phases of prototype currencies, unwrought weight metals, cast coins and paper notes along with the emergence and development of commodity economy. During the Pre-Qin period (before 221 BC), various prototype currencies, unwrought weight metals and cast coins were successively brought into use. From Qin and Han dynasties (221 BC—220 AD) on, all kinds of Chinese coins fell into a round-with-a-central-square-hole form. It was not until the Song dynasty (960—1279 AD) that the Chinese paper money came into circulation. Later under the influence of foreign coinage culture, modern Chinese minted coins emerged in the Guangxu reign (1821—1850 AD) of the Qing dynasty, which gradually changed of the Chinese monetary system. The Chinese monetary culture had a profound impact on that of the neighboring countries.
The Pre-Qin period is a very important phase in Chinese monetary history, during which Chinese currencies emerged and developed. As a result of the development of commodity economy on the base of the more detailed social divisions, prototype currencies as a media for the commodity exchange were brought into use in the late Neolithic period. It led into an era when prototype currencies, unwrought weight metals and cast coins were circulated at the same time.
After unifying the whole country in 221 BC, the first emperor of the Qin dynasty ordained gold, the superior currency, and the
China was in a chaos during the period from Three Kingdoms to Southern and Northern Dynasties (220-581 AD). The frequent alternation of governments made the national economy very unstable. As barter dominated the commodity economy and inferior coins flooded into the market, the coinage economy of the country fell into a decline. It did not get unified until the Sui dynasty (589-618 AD).
Chinese coinage system had great changes during the Tang dynasty (61-907 AD). Both
The period of Song, Liao, Western Xia and Jin dynasties is very important in Chinese monetary history, during which the Chinese currency economy got recovered and developed. Governments of different dynaties carried out different monetary systems along with the growth of the commodity economy. Bronze and iron coins of this period all carried a date mark. Paper money, as a kind of credit note, emerged and came into a wide use.
The Yuan dynasty (1271-1368 AD) is a very important period in the development of ancient Chinese monetary systems. With few bronze coins being cast, paper money became the main currency of the time. This monetary situation continued till the early period of the Ming dynasty (1368-1644 AD), but coinage system returned to the circulation when the paper monetary system collapsed in the mid Ming period. Peasants’ uprisings at the end of both Yuan and Ming dynasties all cast their own coins of various denominations.
The ancient Chinese monetary system went through a great development and evolution in the Qing dynasty. The traditional round-with-a-central-square-hole coins remained in circulation while silver ingots were adopted, too. In the Guangxu reign period (1875-1908 AD), minted silver and copper dollars emerged and paper money was widely issued by both central and local financial institutes. A revolution to the traditional round-with-a-central-square-hole coinage system began.
The techniques used in the manufacturing of Chinese metal coins and Chinese paper money are important components of Chinese monetary culture. Bunch-casting, stacking-casting and sand moulds casting were used one after another in ancient metal coin making, and the western coin minting techniques were commonly adopted in modern coin production. Later, in the printing of paper money, xylography, copperplate, lithography and machine print were applied successively.
Mr. Kalgan Shih (1896-1975) was a famous coin collector in modern China. He started his collection and study of world coins while he was a student in the United States and became very distinguished in known circles for his rich, systematic and high-quality collection of modern coins. His book Modern Coins of China is indispensable for the study of modern Chinese coins. In the year of 1998, his wife, Madame Dong Yixin, and his children carried out his will and generously donated his former collection of coins to the Shanghai Museum. Therefore, the museum opens this special room to display some of the best pieces from his former collection to publicize the great patriotism of Mr. Kalgan Shih and his family.
The Silk Road crosses the Eurasian Continent, where a monetary system, totally different from that of their Chinese counterpart, was formed and used by a variety of peoples in their sovereigns. The coins used in Central Asia were mainly struck by hand and made of various materials, such as silver, bronze and gold.
Coins issued by ancient kingdoms alongside the Silk Road exhibited highly-decorative motifs, due to the evolution through different periods of the Silk Road history. Therefore, these coins provide us direct, visual information for the study of the history.
Roger Doo, a well-known collector and numismatist in the field of Qin and Han coinage, has devoted himself to collecting and studying coins found on the Silk Road for over twenty years.
The Shanghai Museum and its staff are very grateful to Roger and Linda Doo, who have generously donated their coin collection that they have gathered for so many years. These exquisite pieces, with fine motifs and in various styles, present us a cultural diversity as well as a sorted system of Silk Road coinage.
Spade coin is a kind of money shaped like a spade. And those flat-shouldered, arc-footed and hollow-socket ones were cast and issued by the royal family of Zhou in the Spring and Autumn and the Warring States periods, including large, middle and small sizes. It is more common to see a single character inscribed on such coins instead of two or more than two characters. There are different explanations for the inscriptions with some suggesting the names of some places, others regarding them as the names of a clan or the craftsmen. This coin with five characters cast by royal family of Zhou in the Spring and Autumn period is a rare treasure.
The Zhu Liang monetary system which had been used as the name and unit of the currency was abolished in the 4th year of Wude Period of the Tang dynasty (AD 621). The monetary system of Bao Wen began in practice, with Tong Bao, Zhong Bao used as names for the currency and Wen as the unit.
With the development of a commodity economy in the Tang dynasty, the demand for copper coins surged. But since the mid-Tang dynasty, copper coins became in increasingly short circulation on the market. In the 5th year of Huichang Period (845), Emperor Wuzong of the Tang dynasty implemented the law of ‘Buddha Abolishment’ to collect the bronze statues of Buddha and bronze wares all over the country to cast coins of Kaiyuan Tongbao. Because most of the coins of Kaiyuan Tongbao were minted with the names of prefectures, different from other Kaiyuan coins, they were thus called as Huichang Kaiyuan. In addition to the prefecture name Lan, there are three balls of clouds on the back of the coin, which is quite rare among Huichang Kaiyuan coins.
In 221 BC, Qin Shi Huang unified the whole country and stipulated that gold was the upper grade currency and ‘Banliang coin’ the lower grade to be in circulation as the country's legal tender. The early Han continued to mint Banliang coins and used gold to measure the currency value.
U-shaped ingot (horseshoe ingot) refers to the gold currency shaped like a horseshoe. According to historical records, U-shaped ingot was minted in the second year of Taishi of Emperor Wu of Western Han (95 BC) as an auspicious sign. Gold currency at that time was generally used for large transactions.
The early Han witnessed several changes to the Banliang coin system, as a result of which, coins of different weight were cast successively. Since the 5th year of Yuanshou (118 BC), Western Han successively cast Junguo Wuzhu coin, Chize Wuzhu coin and Shanglin Sanguan Wuzhu coin and put them in circulation. Wuzhu coins then became the main currency in circulation during the Western Han and Eastern Han dynasties. Among them, the casting of the Shanglin Sanguan Wuzhu coin marked the return of the right to mint coinage to the central authorities and the final establishment of the Wuzhu coin system.
This coin, also known as ‘Jin Cuo Dao (knife inlaid with gold)’ or ‘Cuo Dao (knife money)’ was cast during the first momentary reform in the 2nd year after Wang Mang took power (AD 7). This coin has a unique form, with a round head and a square hole on the top and a knife shape at the bottom. The head part is inlaid with Yi Dao above and below the square hole separately, while the lower part is inlaid with the characters Ping Wu Qian, meaning this coin is worth five thousand small copper coins. Wang Mang carried out monetary reforms four times successively during his reign, all of which ended in failure. Despite of that, the coins cast during this period feature exquisite workmanship and elegant calligraphy, highly cherished by coin collectors.
The Zhu Liang monetary system which had been used as the name and unit of the currency was abolished in the 4th year of Wude Period of the Tang dynasty (AD 621). The monetary system of Bao Wen began in practice, with Tong Bao, Zhong Bao used as names for the currency and Wen as the unit.
With the development of a commodity economy in the Tang dynasty, the demand for copper coins surged. But since the mid-Tang dynasty, copper coins became in increasingly short circulation on the market. In the 5th year of Huichang Period (845), Emperor Wuzong of the Tang dynasty implemented the law of ‘Buddha Abolishment’ to collect the bronze statues of Buddha and bronze wares all over the country to cast coins of Kaiyuan Tongbao. Because most of the coins of Kaiyuan Tongbao were minted with the names of prefectures, different from other Kaiyuan coins, they were thus called as Huichang Kaiyuan. In addition to the prefecture name Lan, there are three balls of clouds on the back of the coin, which is quite rare among Huichang Kaiyuan coins.
Jushi Gaochang dynasty, founded in 499, was taken by the Tang dynasty in the 14th year of the Zhenguan Period (640). The currency they had used previously was made of gold, silver and copper. Most of the coins of Gaochang Jili were unearthed in the Xinjiang region. The coins were also found in the 16th year Zhenguan Tombs, No. 519 Ancient Tomb at Astana in Turpan Xinjiang in 1973, which indicated that coin of Gaochang Jili was the coin cast by Jushi Gaochang dynasty before the unification of Xinjiang by the Tang dynasty. This kind of coin, heavy and thick, inscribed with official script, is deeply influenced by the currency of the Central Plains.
Gold and silver money and bullion were generally not in circulation in the Tang and Song periods, but mainly used for reward, tax payments, etc. All the known gold bars were minted in the Southern Song dynasty. The bars were different in length. Usually a 12 cm gold bar weighed approximately one Liang at that time and was mainly used for reward, tax payments, hedging, deposit and commercial payments. This gold plate also weighs one Liang. It is stamped with Chen Er Lang Shi Fen Jin and Tie Xian Xiang. ‘Chen Erlang’ is the name of the artisan; ‘Shi Fen Jin’ refers to the relative purity of the gold bar; and ‘Tie Xian Xiang’ is the street name of the capital Lin'an of the Southern Song, also referring to the geographic location of the goldsmith.
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.
In the 13th year of the Zhiyuan Period (1276), after the Yuan army conquered the Southern Song and returned to Yangzhou, Prime Minister Bo Yan ordered a search of the outfits of the officers and soldiers. The silver ferreted out was cast into ingots, 50 Liang each. The ingots were tribute to the Emperor, who then granted them to the officers and soldiers to make them circulate in the market. Later, the government also began to cast it. The silver ingots of this kind unearthed today are all marked with the date of the 14th year of Zhiyuan Period, with the official titles of the casting units and the names of the artisans stamped. The quantity of the ingots found is small. The ingot was called Yuan Bao (shoe-shaped silver ingot) since it was incised with the words Yuan Bao on the back and later this became an alternate name for ingot.
Copper coins were mainly minted in the early Ming dynasty while paper currency was only in practice later on. With the collapse of the paper currency system, copper coins were in circulation again. Daming Tongxing Baochao (the general banknote of the Great Ming) was the only paper currency in the Ming dynasty, put in practice in the 25th year of the Hongwu Period (AD 1392), denominated in different values but with the same size.
The traditional square-holed round coins were gradually replaced by machine made coins during the late Guangxu reign period. Anhui province began to mint Ten Cents Equivalent coins in the 28th year of Guangxu period (AD 1902). The copper coins of Five Cents Equivalent and Twenty Cents Equivalent began to be minted only after the 30th year of the Guangxu period (AD 1904). The ten wen square-holed copper coin minted in Anhui province during the Guangxu period was made of pure copper. Unlike other copper coins, this piece, with a square hole in the center, which is very rare in existence, was supposed to be a trial-product of the time.
Silver was generally cast into the silver ingot in the Qing dynasty and put in circulation in the tael system, in two different forms: real and virtual silver. It was extremely inconvenient in practice due to the fact that different forms and criteria of arbitrage transaction rates were applied in different regions and conversion was needed frequently in the process. During the Daoguang reign period, silver coins forged by imitating foreign machine made coins appeared in today’s Fujian and Taiwan areas. In the 10th year of the Guangxu period, Jilin province initiated the production of machine made coins. In the 16th year of the Guangxu period (AD 1890), Guangdong began to cast a new silver coin—Guangxu Yuanbao. Since then, all the provinces began to cast it one after another and put it in circulation together with the silver tael.
This coin got its name for the character ‘Shou (longevity)’ inscribed in official script on the back. The denomination is Kuping One-teal (the benchmark for taxes and levies of the Qing government). It has two major versions classified by the positive and negative lines of wings of the bat carved on the front side. It was said that this kind of coin was cast in Guangdong in the 31st year of Guangxu period (AD 1905) for the celebration of Empress Dowager Cixi's 70th birthday, therefore only few were handed down.
The Taiping Rebellion took place in the first year of the Xianfeng period of the Qing dynasty (1851) and failed in 1864. Various circulated coins of different sizes and those for Treasury House and reward were cast during the rebel period. The coins minted for the latter purpose were generally decorated with auspicious patterns like double dragons, double phoenix and eight treasures, so they were called Hua Qian meaning money with decorative design. Carved with Taiping Tianguo (Taiping Heavenly Kingdom) on the front and Sheng Bao on the back, this coin is thick and solid. Few are extant.
Great Qing Banknote was a kind of paper currency issued in the 3rd year of the Xianfeng period (1853) by the Qing government with eight denominations. Because it could be converted to copper coins, it was also known as ‘copper cash’. This Great Qing Banknote issued in the 7th year of the Xianfeng period with the denomination of hundred thousand Wen is very rare.
The Qing government successively issued various kinds of paper currency, such as Shunzhi Banknote, Great Qing Banknote, official banknote of Ministry of Revenue, and Bank Exchange Certificate of the Great Qing (Ministry of Revenue) and so on. Various kinds of paper currency were also issued from the official finance departments, various banks and private financial institutions. After 1840, foreign financial forces began pouring into China by setting up banks and issuing paper money in the country.
The International Banking Corporation was the former name of Citibank of the United States. Citibank was founded in 1812 and the then English name was International Banking Corporation. In January 1927, it changed its name to The National City Bank of New York after merging with National Bank of New York. China began issuing paper currency in 1907 in dollar and tael banknotes. This one dollar note issued in1909 was first issued in Guangzhou.
Stack casting was a main method to mint coins from the Qin and Han dynasties to the Northern and Southern Dynasties. With the stacked pottery fan (mold for casting copper coins), over a hundred of coins could be minted at a time. The production efficiency was higher than vertical casting with sectional molds. This is a mold case for Wuzhu coins minting in the 17th year of the Jianwu period (AD 41). It can be used repeatedly to cast the pottery mold cases. There is the date and other inscriptions on the back of the mold. Wuzhu coins began to be minted in the 16th year of the Jianwu period of Eastern Han (AD 40). This case, dated the 17th year of the Jianwu period, is very valuable for the study of coin minting in the Eastern Han dynasty.