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S1359 BoR & BoW The most distinctive varieties of blank-reverse Shun-chih cash are shown here: S = Shengching Mint, 1644, before Peking was taken, heavy 5.9-6gm issue with distinctive calligraphy, esp. "Chi" R = Board of Revenue (BoR) 1-dot T'ung Vg $2, ; W = Board of Works (BoW) 2-dot T'ung Vg+F $4
C26.5 10 C. I bought a group of 100+ pieces, mostly in mint state. Most of them are larger and thicker than specimens already in stock. Differences are slight, but the size and style of the mintname corresponds to size and thickness differences in the coin, perhaps indicating earlier and later issues: .1) 40m, thick; bottom element (n) curved upper stroke, lower middle element hooked; .2) 39m, less thick; bottom element straight (V-like), lower middle element hooked; .3) 37.5-38m, thin; bottom element straight, lower middle element straight (same as Tongzhi issue). Prices: .1) EF-UC, rough 15.00; .2) EF-UC ,less rough 8.50; .3) VF 5.00
C19.7 Guangdong, Cash, small, thin, crude style. Hartill does not list a cast version of this common struck coin, but Craig (=Burger) and KM have for years. I obtained this from Orlando Tsai as a genuine coin, but it could be a private casting or forgery. Opinion? AVg (scan) $15
X25 Indonesia Strings Most Chinese cash imported to the U.S. today are for the jewelry & crafts trade, and they come from Indonesia, where local Chinese communities have imported them for use since the Ming dynasty. Suppliers there collect them from villagers, construction people, or anyone else who finds them in a family treasure trove or buried in the ground. They are tied with plastic twine in strings of 200. Sometimes coins found at one spot will manage to stay together, as I have seen strings where every coin is toned & encrusted alike (common burial), or where there are no coins past Yung Cheng's reign. Sample strings from recent imports show about 90% Qing, naturally dominated by the commoner rulers, Peking Mints, though usually with some Sung, Ming, a Kai Yuan or two, and a few Japanese and Vietnamese. There may be a few contemporary counterfeits or badly worn/encrusted pieces, but generally they keep these out as unwanted by the jewelry market. Recent batches include a few crude copies of (usually) Qing cash, or novel designs, made recently for use in weddings or Muslim prayer shawls when genuine cash are scarce. I do not pick through these strings, nor does my supplier, but I have no idea who sees them before the coins get to him.
I pick these strings by leafing through them without breaking the cord, leaving the rest for the crafters. String of 200: $80 Three or more strings $70 each. Postage for up to 3 strings priority mail USA $4.80; most foreign $11.00 fper 2 strings airmail. Special Offer of selected, better strings.
Padre Beads Chinese bead which travelled all over the world as part of the Spanish silver trade. Best known in North America where they were popular with Southwest US Amerinds, especially the tourquoise blue color. Made ca. late 18th-early 19th C. by the primtive winding process. 531 Strand of 10-11", blue, white, or less common yellow, red, each: SPECIAL $15, two or more $13.50 each.