Qian Heng Zhong Bao

Started by weepio, October 08, 2011, 12:11:01 PM

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weepio

Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms (907-960), 960 is the year the last of the 5 dynasties was transformed into the Northern Song Dynasty

Southern Han Kingdom 905-971
Issued by Emperor (King) Lie Zu 917-942
Era Qian Heng
On the coin: Qian Heng Zhong Bao (top, bottom, richt, left)
Lead coinage, 27 mm

These crude looking coins are supposedly not cast but hammered with a carved out wooden stick, hence the big difference between the coins. According to his catalogue value the coin should be rather common , but I seldom see them being offered. I bought mine far above the catalogue price.

Figleaf

A good thing you know what it is. I might have taken it for Chien Yen (Remmelts 3), rather than Liu Yen (Remmelts 14), but I take your point. The difference is in the bottom character, which, as Murphy predicts, is the least clear.

Needless to say I have never seen this coin and am thrilled to see it here. A very important historical document.

Not sure I understand the wooden stick story. Wood is much softer than metal, so the metal would tend to imprint the wood, rather than the other way around. Wooden dies do exist, but they were used on very thin coins, leaving an imprint on both sides (bracteates). The character chung/zhong (heavy) leads me to believe that this is not a very thin coin.

Peter
An unidentified coin is a piece of metal. An identified coin is a piece of history.

weepio

Because of the material is lead, which is a soft metal, and I know of wood (i.e. Bankirai, I don't know the English word) which is so hard your drill would burn easily when you would not cool it down with water. I'm sure they did not use any soft wooden stick.

Another question, in which category should I post this?