A case of mistaken identity

Discussion in 'Ancient Coins' started by Milesofwho, Jun 21, 2018.

  1. Milesofwho

    Milesofwho Omnivorous collector

    Recently I bought a coin of the Tang Dynasty. When I bought this coin, I thought that it had the mintmark of Chang (昌), which was a year mark. It turns out it actually had the mintmark of Run (润), which represents Zhenjiang, the capital of Jiangsu Province. Shows you what I know. Anyhow, the ruler this was cast under (Wuzong) was a persecutor of any religion not of Chinese origin. He launched a large persecution against the Bhuddists, forcing most monks and nuns to become laypersons, closing their monasteries, and confiscating the land. Before this, the Bhuddist monasteries has accumulated much wealth, so much so that the government could not find enough copper to cast coins after bankrupting the country. I have read that the copper used to make these coins was taken from melted Bhuddist statues. Thankfully, his successor proclaimed a general amnesty. However, Chinese Bhuddism’s greatest days were behind them.
    The reason I bought this coin was none of the reasons above (except for me thinking the mintmark was Chang). I really liked how clear the mintmark was. The mintmarks were impressed seperately after the coin was pressed in the mold. The majority are poorly imprinted, so the amount of detail on the character interested me. I also like the slight mold misalignment. image.jpg image.jpg
     
    Ajax, Marsyas Mike, Curtisimo and 2 others like this.
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