Kind of an important coin for me. Its a Sogdian Kai Yuan Tong Bao with Bukhara tamgha on the reverse. This is the coin that connects Central Asian numismatic history with Chinese numismatics. Most Kai Yuan coins were struck at the beginnings of the Tang dynasty. Its one of the 3 or 4 most important chinese coins made, such was the volume and quality of their manufacture. The Tang dynasty was very aware of the profits from the Silk Road trade, so the invaded Sogdia and took control of both the trade volume, (to protect existing profits), and to get an even bigger piece of the profits. This invasion effectively ended traditional Sogdian coinage. This coin was the forbearer of all later "cash" style sogdian coinage up until the muslim invasions which then changed the coinage again to a islamic type coinage. Later examples, like this one I also purchased this weekend: A cash coins from Samarkand, basically takes this model and added sogdian script and tamghas on the reverse. Anyway, I know it does not look like much to most people, but I am excited to finally get one of these very historically important pieces for my collection. I have been chasing one for a few years now.
Thanks Bill, but you do that you might be one of 4 or 5 people in the US that would even recognize this coin in a junk box, right? Its not a Octavian denarius, or a Cleo VII tet, or even an unusual LRB that most people would recognize the importance of a coin. Its kind of like that Funan piece I posted last week. Unknown to most collectors, but I know the importance of the piece, its importance in history, so it makes me happy to own it. I actually "needed" it since I will be putting together a lecture on Sogdian coinage for the Twin Cities Ancient Coin Club, and its kind of impossible to do, (in my eyes), without one of these coins. Its THAT important to the series. Now, being a hoarder, I need to find a few more to buy......
congrats medoraman ... yah, I must admit that I don't know the first thing about this coin, but the fact that you're super-happy that you scored it, makes me super-happy!! (congrats)
