Chinese Numismatics

Edited by Iside Carbone and Helen Wang.
The papers collected in this thematic issue “Asia
Collections outside Asia: Questioning Artefacts,
Cultures and Identities in the Museum” were first
presented at a well-attended and lively panel on 2 June
2018. The event was part of the international
conference "Art, Materiality and Representation"
organised in London by the Royal Anthropological
Institute of Great Britain and Ireland in cooperation
with the British Museum and SOAS (School of
Oriental and African Studies), University of London.

During the 13th century, the Mongol empire expanded from the Korean peninsula to Central Europe covering a large part of Eurasia. This exhibition of coins issued under Mongolian authority illustrates the great diversity of languages and religions in the age of Mongolian peace.

The paper is devoted to the study of countermarks on silver coins with the legend dachao tongbao, originated from the hoard unearthed in 2007 in Longxi (Gansu province, China). Authors managed to distinguish the calligraphic styles of the coins, to reconstruct the countermarks and determine semantics for some of them. A significant feature of the countermarks was found out : they form pairs, which represent strict relations between specific countermarks. Authors explored and described the peculiar technological feature of most of the coins : countermarked coins from the circulation were used to make the mould for casting. The correlation between the calligraphic styles of coins and pairs of countermarks has been defined. Above mentioned features of the countermarks turned up to be characteristic not only for the Longxi hoard but for the coins from different finds as well. According to the topography of finds and semantics of the binom dachao as well as those of several countermarks, authors hypothetised that the coins were cast in the Qa‛an’s encampment in Liupanshan (now in the Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region) between 1251 and mid of 1260. Coins with the legend dachao tongbao were most likely finally withdrawn from the circulation not later than autumn of 1262 due to the ban of the free circulation of silver in the territory subjected to Khubilai. In addition, authors show the fallacy of the interpretation of some countermarks on the previously published coins.

Chinese Numismatics. The World of Chinese Money - by Helen Wang, Francois Thierry, Lyce Jankowski, with an introduction by Joe Cribb (Spink, 2022). ISBN 9-781912-667888

This is the first book to explore the history of the field of Chinese numismatics from both Eastern and Western perspectives. Consisting of four papers that complement each other beautifully, it gives a sound introduction to the study of Chinese numismatics, focusing on the 19th century and, crucially, how to think about Chinese money.

During the period of 2008-2011 in Kyrgyzstan were unearthed 4 coins with legend 續興元寳 xu-xing yuan-bao, which were attributed as issues of Emperor Yelü Yilie during the period shao-xing 紹興 (1151-1164). There is mismatch of the coins legend with the reign title. The reign title shao-xing is known from historical sources of the Liao dynasty, which were compiled in the 14th century. The original reign title xu-xing was replaced by compilers on semantically close reign title shao-xing in order do not violate the rule of the name taboo.

Don Dinero nacía en las Indias honrado, como jocosamente versaba Quevedo, pero no era, ni mucho menos, en Génova enterrado. Por largos caminos y periplos navales una parte importante de ella fluía hacia Oriente, uniéndose a la que llegaba directamente a por el Galeón de Manila, y pasaba a manos de los comerciantes, emigrantes y piratas chinos establecidos en la mayor parte del Sudeste Asiático, a los sultanatos musulmanes de Indonesia o a la India. En el camino, una parte se quedaba en los países árabes, en Persia y en el Imperio Turco Otomano, o se utilizaba de circulante en las colonias y asentamientos ultramarinos de las monarquías europeas.

The paper is devoted to the study of countermarks on silver coins with the legend dachao tongbao, which derives from the hoard unearthed in 2007 in Longxi (Gansu prov., China). The classification of the coins with the legend dachao tongbao has been presented with the emphasis of two coin types on the basis of calligraphic peculiarities of the coins' legends. The authors presented a reconstruction of the countermarks and their classification in accordance with visual appearance. The authors identified the technological feature of the most part of the coins with the legend dachao tongbao: the usage of ready-made coins marked by countermarks for the production of the mold. There was also defined the correlation between the calligraphic styles of coins and groups of countermarks. Authors provide the version of the periodization of two emissions of coins with the legend dachao tongbao. The article presents the evidence that countermarking had relation to tax collection. The authors determined semantics for some of the countermarks, which helped to reliably estimate the period of circulation of the coins dachao tongbao and suggest the period of the hoard concealment. Based on the topography of findings and semantics of the binomial dachao, it was hypothesized that the coins with the legend dachao tongbao were cast in the Qa’an’s camp in Liupanshan during the period of its active usage in the Möngke Qa’an’s reign. It is suggested that additional countermarking of the coins by tamghas of Möngke and Arĭq Böke was made (after the former’s death) by Qunduhai - the Mongol commander in the Liupanshan area. In addition, the authors proved the fallacy of conventional interpretation of the countermarks on two of the most well-known (from previous publications) coins with the legend dachao tongbao.

Keywords:  Genghis khan, Möngke, Arĭq Böke, Kublay khan, Qa’an, Mongol Empire, Supreme Court, Supreme Horde, tamgha, Liupanshan, Qunduhai, Longxi,  dachao, countermark.

The research carried out by V. Belyaev, S. Sidorovich (Chinese numismatics) and  V. Nastich (history and numismatics of Islamic Asia) deals with four cash coin samples of the Western Liao dynasty (xu-xing yuan-bao), unearthed in the area that once belonged to the Qara-Khitay state, representing two denominations (a single and a double value), and displaying three different calligraphic varieties of the Chinese legends.
The dual (Chinese and Inner Asian) nature of the Qara Khitay Empire (Western Liao dynasty) is a well-known and thoroughly investigated fact. The cited duality was evident in all aspects of life of the Qara Khitay society ― political, economical, social, cultural, etc. No exception in this regard is the numismatic aspect as well, although the very existence of intrinsic Qara Khitay coinage has been disputable until recently.

Interprète à la Légation de France à Macao puis à Pékin, Henri Fontanier constitue entre 1855 et 1867 une collection de plusieurs centaines de monnaies chinoises et extrême-orientales acquise par la Bibliothèque Impériale en 1868. Le diplomate rédige alors un Catalogue des monnaies chinoises du Cabinet de France, précédé de « Recherches sur les diff érents systèmes monétaires appliqués en Chine depuis le septième siècle avant l'ère chrétienne jusqu'à nos jours », texte qui éclaire la personnalité de ce diplomate fantasque : précision remarquable, importante recherche de l'épigraphie antique, ouverture d'esprit tout à fait novatrice. Sa collection constitue le noyau des séries chinoises du Cabinet des Médailles.

In the course of the previously surveyed study of the reasons of placing the Chinese character寳 bao in the legends of some Mongol coins, 1 the authors have showed that its lexical meaning in this context should relate to the power regalia of Mongol khans. The present paper is an attempt to look at the more general practice of usage of the character bao in the legends of Chinese cast coins in general.