Chinese Cash coin Help

I got these at a coin show today. Can anyone identify any of these? Thanks!


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In general, the problem is that about two dozen entities (more?) struck cash coins (brass or copper, with a square hole) in the past 1,000 years. Unless you're lucky and spot the exact image in Krause, or speak a hundred dialects, it's hard to ID them.

Right off the bat, you can see that #2 and #5 have a much different script.

 

I've got a few ideas, maybe enough to help a bit. First, it will be easier if you arrange the coins so they can be easily read. If we number the coins (starting at top left) 1,2,3 then second row 4,5,6 etc.: Coins 1,2,3,4,5,7, and 9 should be rotated to the left by 90 degrees, coin 6 to the right 90 degrees, and 8 to the right by 45 degrees.

Coin 2 is written in Chinese seal script, and coins 1 and 3 are either running hand script or grass script (I have trouble telling them apart). I could probably figure them out given a bit more time.

Coins 6 and 7 are identical (at least in inscription), they are from the Mongol emperor Wu Zong or Khaishan (1308-1311), inscription is Da Yaun Tong Bao written in Phagspa (Mongolian) script.

Coin 5 is the reverse of a late Qing dynasty coin, 19th or early 20th century. It gives the mintmark (Board of Revenue in Beijing) in Manchu script, and the value 10 in standard Chinese. The other side should give the emperor's name.

Coin 8 is from the emperor Xian Feng (1851-1861). There were a lot of unusual coins in his reign, due to the economic disruption of the Taiping Rebellion. This one is unusually coppery in composition, and the inscription says "Yuan Bao" (first or original coin) rather than the more usual Tong Bao (current coin). Please show the other side, which should list the mint.

Coin 9 is weird. The hole is circular (rather than the usual square) and the inscription is very odd for a Chinese coin, although the characters seem to be standard Chinese script. I only recognize the top character, Tian (heaven).

Anyway, that's what I have right now. Maybe I can come up with more later.

 

I will post more pictures!


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Here are more pictures


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I also have these coins I'm not sure about:


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Do these pictures help?


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The new photos helped a bit for #8 by showing the other side (still need other side of #5 to ID to a specific emperor). The main problem right now isn't the photos, it's my knowledge (or lack thereof). Here's what else I know now:

The new pieces you posted (in post #6) are definitely some sort of amulets or tokens and not proper coins. I am also starting to think that #1,4, and 9 from the original group may also be some sort of amulets. They don't include the character Bao (coin), which is found on just about all circulating currency coins in the Chinese and other Asian cash series, and historically there were a lot of coin-shaped amulets used for various good luck reasons.

Coin #8 is from the Xinjiang (Sinkiang, or Chinese Turkestan) province of China, Xian Feng period (1851-1861) as I said before. This western desert region, inhabited mostly by Muslim minority ethnic groups, issued a lot of red coppery cash coins, so your piece makes sense.

On coin 3, the right character is Min (kingdom). Since the bottom and left characters are Tong Bao (current coin), the normal inscription type, the top character should be the first part of the two-word period name. However, I can't figure out what that first character is.

Coin 2 has the inscription (in seal script) "Tai He Zhong Bao" (Tai He heavy coin), which was used from 1204-1209. However, I am suspicious of this coin. It should be a large, heavy (as it says) coin, about the size of a US Morgan or Peace dollar, but your piece looks the same size as a normal cash coin. Most likely a copy.

That's all I can figure out for now. I think you may need to show these to someone who knows more than I do, or hope for someone knowledgeable to stop by this thread.

 

Any chance those coins with round holes are "coins for the dead," intended to be interred along with the decedent? I know they already make simulated paper money to burn at the funeral to propitiate the gods. Just a thought.

 

Thank you so much!


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Do you know the denomination of this coin?


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Dear Charles 1997

See Hartill22.1080-1082; p. 386
Obverse: top, Xian; bottom, Feng; left, yuan; right bao
Reverse: top, Dang (value); bottom, bai (100). Left (Manchu) Aksu; right (Turkic?) Aqs [no terminal vowel sign]

For a brief description of the minting see cited page

JCH

 

Can you show the reverses of the 9 original coins? At first glance, #5 and #8 appear to be actual cash coins while the others look like charms, depending on the reverse, of course.

 

Not really looking "good" to me. There are some items that are obviously charms. Most of the others look a bit questionable but I am not an expert. The fact that those charms are part of the batch is troubling for the whole lot. Just my .02.

 

I would not worry if they are all charms or all actual cash coins or a mixture of both. In many cases, the charms are worth significantly more than the actual cash. Think of it like this - how many more cash coins were made compared to the amount of charms made? Obviously, a lot depends on when the charms were made (hundreds of years ago vs. yesterday), but charms definitely have been hot at auction recently.

 

1st

 

2nd

 

3rd

 

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5th