The virtually unheard of Chinese Kingdom - Eastern Xia

China. Eastern Xia Kingdom. 東夏國。Dongzhen Xingbao. 東真興寶。King Puxian Wannu 蒲鮮萬奴, 1215- 1233. Extremely rare.

Only an estimated 9 specimens were only known to be found to date from Inner Mongolia and the Russian Far East in the early 2010s. This extremely rare coin is one of the 9 found.

The coin belonged to the little known and extremely short lived Eastern Xia Kingdom which was founded in outer Mongolia by the warlord Puxian Wannu in 1215. He was a previous general from the Jurchen Jin Dynasty who resisted the Mongol Empire attack. However Puxian Wannu rebelled against the Jin and with the Mongols established a breakaway kingdom which he called the Xia 夏 Kingdom. Do distinguish themselves against the larger Western Xia Dynasty, he named his territory the Eastern Xia. Unfortunately for Puxian Wannu, he decided to turn against his Mongol overlords. Ogedei Khan, Genghis Khan's successor, dispatched an army against the Eastern Xia, finally conquering it and executing Wannu in 1233.

The Eastern Xia was referred by the Goryeos of Korea as Eastern Zhen (Dongzhen) Kingdom.



Given its extremely short existence, most western maps do not depict or show the kingdom. However, the following map roughly shows the boundaries of the kingdom located around most of Manchuria and the Russian Far East today.

source: https://m.sohu.com/a/319423128_483995/?pvid=000115_3w_a

 

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Thanks for the interesting information, @Loong Siew.

I have heard about Western Xia, but never on Eastern Xia. It is surprisingly to know the latter is comparatively bigger.

 

Thanks.. The size is not really a good indicator of strength.. Eastern Xia may be larger but their territory and army is weak. The western Xia lasted much longer..

 

I really enjoy your writeup @Loong Siew ! I have a Chronicles of the Chinese Emperors, as well as other Chinese History books, and actually remember about the Eastern Xia Empire and their story. Fun, but bummed that I do not have any coins from them!

congrats on your coin! I really like it!

 

Thanks.. haven't been active for a while but had a couple of new acquisitons which I might post in near future..

The Eastern Xia coins are extremely rare.. At the moment only around 9 or 12 were found in existence.. I was very luckybto acquire 1 from one of the founding excavators from Russia Far East.. Was so excited and happy to acquire 1.. Many Chinese numismatists don't even realize they exist..haha

 

Interesting post. Thank you.

 

Western collectors might be inclined to consider Chinese coins as 'Chinese' or accept the various dynasties as sequential rules of the whole land area while it was really a number of regions that overlapped. The same is true of Greek and medieval Europe. Rome was the exception that lasted quite a while but the borders certainly came and went as did the border states (friend or foe). Being an informed coin collector is not always all that easy. Many of us are happy about that. Most of us probably own a few coins from places we could not possibly find on a map. Worse is the fact that there are places that once existed and issued coins but have dropped out of history except for those coins. I am more ignorant of Chinese history than I am of Western. That means that I know of more Western things I don't know while I don't even suspect the Eastern equivalent.

 

@Loong Siew That's a beautiful example, and an interesting history. I collect ancient and medieval Chinese and Vietnamese coins. I don't have any from the Eastern Xia Dynasty. I wonder, who has the other Eastern Xia coins.

 

Thanks..I only know of the Russian excavator who found 9 of these and probably another in private hands..

 

@Loong Siew......That's an interesting collection!....Enjoyed the write up and info too!....Learnt something new today , Thanks!

 

Thank you.. it's my pleasure to share numismatics from the east which are notnso commonly known in the west..

 

Very interesting coin and writeup. Thanks a lot for sharing.

I don't collect Chinese coins, but I have quite a few of them. I know nothing about them except what is written on the coin envelops.

I seem to have 7 coins from Western Xia (none from Eastern Xia).

Here is one:
ZhenGuanBaoQian (written in last XiXia)
Date: 1101 - 1113
Weight: 2.23g (22.5mm)

Thick green patina. Blank reverse

 

another one:

Date: 1206 - 1211
Weight: 4.66g (25mm)

Uneven green and brown patina and encrustations, blank reverse

 

and another one

GuangDingYuanBao
Date: 1212-1223
Weight: 5.52g (24mm)

Nice condition, brown patina, blank reverse



Found this on the internet:
Casted in the reign Guang Ding (1211-1223) of King XiXia Shen Zong, the 8th king of Xi Xia dynasty.

 

Date: 1107 - 1110
Weight: 4.32g (24mm)

 

You have an excellent collection of Western Xia coins there. I particularly like the Tangut script one. I have 2 Tangut scripted coins but are the 大安寶錢 Da An Bao Qian type. Western Xia coins are scarce to rare except for the few types such as the Tian Sheng and Iron Qian You. Congratulations to your lot of 7.

Do you collect or specialise on Chinese coins as well in your collection? You seem to be pretty well informed of them..

 

Da An Tong Bao

Date: 1075 - 1085
Weight: 4.8 g (25.5mm)

Light green and brown patina and deposits, moon crescent on the reverse

 

I don't collect Chinese coins and unfortunately I know nothing about them, except for what is written on the coin envelops. I got a few hundred of them as a gift some 20 years ago. It was the collection of a Chinese friend, who died too young. The collection was compiled before ca. 1990 and nothing has been added to it in 30 or more years.

I'm glad an expert like yourself has joined this forum. I'm very interested to learn more about ancient Chinese and Japanese coins, even though I'm unlikely to ever venture into this field of collecting.

 

I seem to have one of these common types

Tian Sheng Yuan Bao
Date: 1149 - 1170
Weight: 3.67g (23.5mm)

Green and brown patina and encrustations, letter on reverse

 

Thanks.. i used to post quiet frequently here before a hiatus.. sorry to hear about your friend.. if you like you can private message me some of your Asian coins for sharing.. Seeing your Western Xia coins here, I believe the other coins you have are quiet good..