CHINESE
COINS & CURRENCY
All coins guaranteed to
be genuine. I have over 30 years experience with Chinese
coins and buy only from reliable suppliers in the United States.
INEXPENSIVE
ANCIENT CHINESE COIN 
The
Pan Liang was the standard coin of the realm in ancient
China. These Pan Liang coins are from the reign of Emperor
Ch'e Wu-ti of the Western Han Dynasty and were minted from about 140BC
to 118BC. The design of the coin, a round coin
with a square hole became a standard that China continued to use for
over 2000 years, until 1911AD. The coins are remarkably
inexpensive considering their age.
Item
CN-PAN CHINA, PAN LIANG 140-118BC
(Scj. 107+) VG
$7.00
THE
REMARKABLE WU-CH'U COIN
In 118BC Emperor
Yuan-shou
withdrew the Pan-Liang coin and introduced a new coin, called the Wu
Ch'u (Wu Shu or Wu Chu) It had a value of 5 Shu.
Unlike the earlier Pan Liang coins it had a raised rim to prevent
filing. The coin proved quite popular, and continued to be
issued in various versions for the next six centuries!
Item
CN-WU CHINA WU-CH'U COIN 118BC -
618AD (Scj.114+) VG-VF
$6.00
A
WORD ABOUT THE NAMES OF CHINESE EMPERORS
The
names of Chinese emperors can be confusing - because one Emperor will
have many names. Like everyone, they have personal name, but
that
is often different than their birth name. Once they become
emperor however, the emperor choses a reign title.
The
reign title is the name that appears on their coins. Some
emperors used one reign title for their entire reign. Others
would change their reign title every few years. Some reign title would
be used by more than one emperor. In addition, after an
emperor
died he was given a posthumous name, which often was long enough to
read like an entire sentence.
Adding the confusion is that there are multiple ways of translating the
same name. Most traditional English language references used
the
Wade-Giles transcription. Many recent books use the modern
Pinyin
transcription. Thus the emperor who ruled China from 1022 to
1063AD is known as Jen Tsung in the Wade-Giles transcription and Ren
Zong in the Pinyin transcription. He used nine reign titles during his
reign. His reign titles in the Wade-Giles
transcription are
T'ien-Sheng, Ming-tao, Ching-yu, Pao-yuan, K'ang-ting, Ch'ing-li,
Huang-yu, Chih-ho, and Chia-yu. In the Pinyin transcription
that
is Tian Sheng, Ming Dao, Jing You, Huang Song, Kang Ding, Huang You,
Zhi He and Jia You. His birth name (using Pinyin) was Zhao
Zhen. His Posthumous name (using Pinyin) is Emperor Titian
Fadao
Jigong Quande Shenwen Shengwu Ruizhe Mingxiao, but that is too long for
anyone to use!
For the purposes of these coins, I will usually refer to both
the
reign title that appears on the coin (as that is what is used by most
collectors of Chinese coins), and the common personal name that the
emperor is known by in the history books. I will usually
include
both the Wade-Giles and Pinyin transcription.
LUCKY COIN OF THE
FIRST MANCHU EMPEROR OF CHINA
In 1644, the
collapsing Ming Dynasty invited the Manchu army to put down a peasant
uprising that had taken over their capital city of
Beijing. The Manchu’s promptly did so, but took
over the city for themselves, and placing their young Emperor Shun Chih
(Shunzhi) upon the throne of China, bringing a formal end to the Ming
Dynasty. By the time Shun Chih died of smallpox in 1662 the
Manchu Dynasty was firmly in control of China. The coins of
Shun Chih were thought to bring good luck. Probably because
wearing the coin around the neck was a way of showing support for the
new Dynasty, thus currying favor with government officials, while not
having the coin could invite harassment. We have a selection
of these old brass one cash coins from various mints. The
Emperors title ison one side, while the name of the mint is on the
other.
Item
CN-SHUNZHI CHINA 1 CASH SHUN CHIH 1644-1662
F-VF $7.00
INEXPENSIVE 200
YEAR OLD MANCHU DYNASTY COIN
Ch'ien
Lung (Qianlong Emperor) was the fourth emperor of the Ch'ing (Manchu)
Dynasty, and one of the longest reigning emperors in the thousands of
years of Chinese history. His reign lasted from 1735 until
1796. His military campaigns strengthened Chinese authority
both within the Empire and over its neighbors. He created a
new province, Sinkiang Province, in north-western China, substantially
increasing the size of the Empire. He had 17 sons and 10 daughters by
his concubines. He was also a patron of the arts.
He resigned in 1796, turning the Empire over to his fifth son and died
in 1799. This brass 1 cash coin of Ch'ien Lung features the
Emperors title on one side and the mint mark on the reverse. The coins
are genuine, and despite being over 200 years old, they are quite
inexpensive. Many hundreds of millions of coins were made during his
long and prosperous reign. The coin has long been popular
with practitioners of Feng Shui and I Ching.
Item
CN-CL CHINA CH'IEN LUNG 1 CASH 1735-1796 Fine
$2.00
Item
CN-CLx3 3 X CHINA CH'IEN LUNG 1 CASH COINS
(useful for I
Ching) Fine
$5.00
SCARCE CHINESE T’AI
P’ING REBELLION
EMERGENCY IRON COIN
The T’ai P’ing Rebellion was a
major revolt against the Imperial Chinese government in the 19th
Century. An estimated 20 Million people died, making it one
of the most deadly military conflicts in history. It was
started by Hong Xiuquan, who believed he was the younger brother of
Jesus Christ. He instituted a number of radical reforms, many
of which were later adopted by the Communists. By
1855 he managed to gain control over much of central and southern
China, cutting the imperial treasury off from sources of copper it
needed to make coins. Without copper, the Imperial mint in
Chihli Province started to make cash coins out of iron. The iron coins
were
not well accepted and were soon discontinued. With
British and American help the T’ai P’ings were defeated by
1864. This iron 1 Cash coin was issued by the Paoting mint in
Chihli Province in the name of Ching Emperor Hsien-Feng, who ruled from
1851
to 1861. The coins grade VG to F and as might be expected,
show some signs of rust. They catalog $18.50 in VG. Our price is much
less.
Item
CN-C5-4a CHINA - CHIHLI IRON CASH of EMP.
HSIEN-FENG 1851-1861
C5-4a VG-F
$8.50
LAST
CASH COIN OF THE LAST EMPEROR OF CHINA
Pu I, also known by his reign title Hsuan-t'ung (Xuan Tong) ascended to
the throne
of China in 1908 at age three, upon the death of his Uncle, the
previous
emperor. By this time however Imperial rule was already
collapsing
due to repeated wars, foreign interference and internal misrule. In
1911
the Republic of China was established and he was forced to abdicate the
throne. This small one cash coin of Hsuan-t'ung was one of
the last
cast square hole cash coins to be issued by Imperial China. The coin
was minted at the Board of Revenue Mint in Peking.
Item
CN-C1-19 CHINA 1 CASH HSIEN TUNG 1908-1911
C1-19.1 VF
$9.50
OLD COINS OF
CHINA by Holger
Jorgensen
A
small but complete identification guide book for Chinese cash coins from
600BC
to 1912AD. Best book if you just want a to identify Chinese cash coins by
emperor without going into varieties. Features line drawings of
coins. Reprint. 26
pages
and plates. softcover. $6.00
Item
BK-Jorgensen Book: OLD COINS OF CHINA by Holger Jorgensen
$6.00
CHINESE DRAGONS
AND FLAG 10 CASH COINS
The
first machine struck Chinese copper 10 Cash coins were issued by the
Canton mint in 1900. The coins proved popular with the
public, who found them more convenient than strings of the 1 cash
coins, and the government, who found it more profitable to mint than
the 1 cash coins. Soon other provincial mints also issued the
copper 10 Cash. The coins were approximately 27mm, featured
the Imperial Dragon on one side and Chinese inscriptions on the
other. In 1905 the Imperial government of China attempted to
standardize the design. The new coins bore the inscription
“TAI-CHING-TI-KUO COPPER
COIN” beneath the Imperial Dragon.
If the coin was struck by a provincial mint, the mintmark was at the
center of the reverse. In 1911 China became a republic and a
new design was introduced featuring the crossed flags of the Republic
of China and the Revolutionary Army Flag. Various provincial
warlords issued the copper 10 Cash coins with numerous variations of
the crossed flags design. Around 1927 coinage of the copper 10 Cash
coins ceased as the central government gained control over the
provincal mints. Hundreds of varieties of the Dragon and Flag
10 Cash coins were struck, making them a fascinating and
popular series with collectors.
Item
CN-DRAGONx1 CHINA DRAGON 10 CASH, (circa
1900-1911)VG-FINE
$3.00
Item
CN-DRAGONx10 10 CHINESE DRAGON 10 CASH,
(circa
1900-1911)VG-FINE
$20.00
Item
CN-FLAGx1 CHINA FLAG 10 CASH (circa
1912-1927)VG-VF
$3.00
Item
CN-FLAGx5 5 CHINESE FLAG 10 CASH (circa
1912-1927)VG-VF
$10.00
RARE
PROVINCIAL
BANK NOTE FROM CHINA
This 1 Dollar note of the Provincial Bank of Chihli is dated December
1, 1920 in Tientsin (Tianjin), China. It was issued at a time when
China was undergoing major political and economic upheavals.
Numerous local banks issued their own currency, most of which was not
accepted outside the local area. Warlords were regularly
fighting for control over Tientsin. The front of the note is
in Chinese and features a monument. The back is in
English. The note was printed by the American Bank Note
Company.
Item
PM-CN-CHIHLI PROVINCIAL BANK OF
CHIHLI 1 DOLLAR 1920 PS1263a
F-VF
$18.00
OLD REPUBLIC OF CHINA
LOTTERY LOAN
BONDS
During the 1920’s The Republic of China issued these 5 Dollar Lottery
Loan bonds. Rather than pay interest, the bonds were
automatically entered into a monthly lottery that paid prizes from
$1000 to $50,000. The terms of the bonds are listed on the
front in Chinese, and on the back in English. We have two of
these unusual bonds. The Second Nationalist Government
Lottery Loan Bond of 1926 was issued to finance improvements in the
Port of Whampoa, near Canton (now Guangzhou). Both the front
and the back are underprinted with a map of the
port. The Nationalist Government Lottery Loan Bond
of 1927 pictures Sun Yat Sen and the flags of the Kuomintang party and
The Republic of China. The bond was issued to pay for
“subsidizing the Canton-Hong Kong Strikers Committee and the unemployed
workers in general” The Canton-Hong Kong Strike was a massive
strike and boycott supported by the government of China against Hong
Kong and British imperialism. It was sparked on May 30, 1925 police
under British command opened fire on Chinese demonstrators, killing at
least 9 and wounding many more. It greatly expanded the following month
after British troops killed and wounded even more Chinese
demonstrators. Chinese leader Chiang Kai-shek initially used
the movement to encourage nationalist fervor and create support for his
government. . The Chinese began a boycott of all British trade and
general strike of all Chinese in Hong Kong. Hundreds of thousands of
Chinese left Hong Kong, paralyzing the city. Thousands of
protestors were brought into Canton to drum up additional
support. The strike was formally ended on October
10, 1926. Chinese leader Chiang Kai-shek wanted to divert
resources to his Northern Expedition against the warlords in order to
unify China under his control. The British, wanting to regain
their profitable Chinese trade, provided China with loans and agreed to
allow China to levy a 2.5% import duty on all imports coming through
Kwangtung (now Guangdong) Province as well certain other duties on
imports and exports. The British loans helped finance Chiang
Kai-shek’s Northern Expedition. The 2.5% import duty was used
to pay off these 1927 Lottery Loan bonds which were issued to cover the
costs of the strike incurred by the Chinese
government. The bonds measure about 7 1/4" x 5"
(18cm x 13cm) and grade Very Fine or better.
Item
PM-CN-BOND26 CHINA 1926 LOTTERY LOAN BOND
VF-XF
$15.00
Item
PM-CN-BOND27 CHINA 1927 LOTTERY LOAN BOND
VF-XF
$18.00
3 UNUSUAL
OLD CHINESE
BANKNOTES
These 3 notes were issued by China during the 1930’s and 1940’s. The
set includes two unusual vertical notes issued by The Central Bank of
China: the 5 and 10 Customs Gold Units (CGU) note dated
1930. The Customs Gold Units was originally intended to pay
customs duties and was tied to the price of gold. In 1942 they were put
into general circulation. The bank’s headquarters in Shanghai is
pictured on the back. Also included in the set is the Bank of
China 100 Yuan note dated 1940 bearing the “CHUNGKING” overprint on the
back. The Temple of Heaven is on the back. All three notes
were printed by the American Banknote Company. Sun Yat Sen and Chinese
inscriptions are on the fronts and English is on the backs.
Item
PM-CN-SET3 CHINA 3 NOTE SET: 5 & 10
CUSTOMS GOLD UNITES, 100 YUAN
1930-1940 FINE
$19.50
SCARCE 100 YEN NOTE OF
JAPANESE CONTROLLED TAIWAN
Japan acquired the island of Taiwan in 1895 after defeating China in
the Sino-Japanese War. Shortly thereafter it founded the Bank
of Taiwan which issued currency for the island. This 100 Yen
note was first issued in 1937 and continued to circulate throughout
World War II. The front of the note depicts stairs
leading up to a shrine. The back features the coastline with
a lighthouse and palm trees. It is a scarce and rarely seen
issue.
Item
PM-CN-1928 TAIWAN 100 YEN NOTE (1937) P1928 VG-F
$39.50
WWII ERA JAPANESE
MILITARY CURRENCY
Japan introduced this 5 Yen Military Note in 1938 for use in the areas
of China that they had occupied. The note was created by
taking partially completed Japanese homeland notes and overprinting
them on the front and back with four large red characters that read
"Military Note". In 1940 the Military Notes were replaced by
notes issued by the Japanese puppet banks in China, however the
Military Yen continued to be used in Hong Kong and Hainan Island
throughout the war.
Item
PM-CN-M25 JAPANESE MILITARY CURRENCY FOR
CHINA, 5 YEN, 1938-44 VF $15.00
HIGH GRADE WWII JAPANESE
MILITARY CURRENCY FOR HONG KONG
This Crisp Uncirculated 100 Yen Japanese Military Currency note was
issued in 1945 for use in Hong Kong. It was the highest
denomination military currency issued by Japan. The note, apparently
printed in Hong Kong, utilized the basic design of the 1944 Japanese
homeland 100 Yen note, however with modified legends on the back and
the front was overprinted with the characters indicating it is
military currency.
Item
PM-CN-M30 JAPANESE MILITARY CURRENCY FOR
HONG KONG 100 YEN 1945 PM30 UNC. $9.00
COIN
SET FROM THE
PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC OF CHINA
This
unpackaged five coin set from The People's
Republic of China
includes the 1, 2 and 5 Fen, 1 and 5 Jiao dating from 1987 to
1996. One side of the coins show the national emblem
featuring
the Tiananmen Gate and the entrance to The Forbidden City. The
Forbidden City was the former Imperial Palace that was closed to the
public. It is now a vast museum and a major tourist
attraction. Above the gate are 5 stars. The reverse
of the
coins features the denomination. All 5 coins are Uncirculated.
Item
CN-SET5 PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC OF CHINA COIN
SET $3.00
Also see:
JAPANESE OCCUPATION OF
MANCHUKUO
WWII FIBER COIN OF JAPANESE
OCCUPIED MANCHUKUO
MENG CHIANG JAPANESE
PUPPET BANK
COINS OF TIBET
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scale with which to judge image sizes
All
items are guaranteed to be genuine, unless clearly indicated otherwise.
NOTE: All pictures are of a
typical item taken from
stock. Because we have multiples of most items, the item you
receive
may not look exactly the same, however it will be as described.
Please add postage.
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Phone 1 805 489 8045
Fax 1 805 299 1818
email: orders@joelscoins.com
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YOU WOULD LIKE TO VISIT:
In 118BC Emperor
Yuan-shou
withdrew the Pan-Liang coin and introduced a new coin, called the Wu
Ch'u (Wu Shu or Wu Chu) It had a value of 5 Shu.
Unlike the earlier Pan Liang coins it had a raised rim to prevent
filing. The coin proved quite popular, and continued to be
issued in various versions for the next six centuries! 
