China's coin is a special value for a numismatist

2024 Author: Howard Calhoun | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 10:16

The first Chinese coin appeared, according to some sources, as early as the eighth century BC. At that time, the inhabitants of the Celestial Empire used cowrie shells as a means of money circulation. In addition, these decorative gifts of the sea served as decoration.

The oldest Chinese coin that archaeologists managed to find was in the form of a music record and was cast in bronze. As a rule, such money was marked with hieroglyphs for their value and weight. Each individual Chinese kingdom or appanage had its own type of means of money circulation. Over time, the weight and size of such unusual money decreased. Finally, in the first century A. D. e. they have outlived themselves. A classic coin of China has appeared, the shape of which is probably familiar to many - round, with a square hole in the middle.

Money molds used by the Chinese were originally made from slabs made from compressed sand. But such matrices were fragile and were not used for long. Therefore, they were replaced by limestone. Then came the double-sided matrix. One plate was carefully placed on top of another, metal was poured through special channels into the resulting vacuum. Its excess was poured out.

The coins had holes so that by threading a rope through them, they could be tied. In this way it was very convenient to move a large amount of money. They often paid in bundles rather than individual coins.

In the ancient Middle Kingdom, monetary reforms were not uncommon - for example, the removal of all coins from circulation by representatives of the new dynasty. From the past rulers inherited a motley legacy. The coins were of various shapes and denominations. And after their withdrawal, a single standard of money was introduced.

The coin of China was mainly cast in bronze. Iron money was used much less often, their cost was much lower. In addition, silver or gold bars were in use. The composition of the bronze used to make money has changed depending on the historical era. The largest percentage of copper in it fell on the reign of several dynasties - Wang Mang, Ming, Tang. During the Sun era, the copper content of coins dropped to 64%. Under the Manchu Qing Dynasty, this mark dropped to 50%. This valuable metal was often not enough to produce coins. One of the rulers for this reason banned the export of money to other countries.

When the Middle Kingdom was captured by the Mongols, the issue of coins was seriously reduced. Paper notes were used, which were made by order of the rulers of the new Yuan dynasty. However, the usual bronze round coin of China with a rectangular hole in the middle has not fallen into disuse. The inscriptions on such money were still made in the Han language.

The next conquerors, the Manchus, having captured the Celestial Empire weakened by constant uprisings in 1644, carried out a reform. They issued coins signed in their language. The new money was not only bronze, but also silver. In the middle of the nineteenth century, the mints of the Celestial Empire, in order to save copper, which was imported from Japan, began to use brass. Imported silver was also used in the form of Spanish pesos.

Modern Chinese coins are yuan, as well as jiao and fen. The latter are used very rarely, because their purchasing power is very low. Yuan consists of ten jiao, which, in turn, are divided into 10 fen. Modern coins of China are not at all similar to their "leaky" bronze predecessors. The photo above gives an idea of them.