Coins in China are one of the earliest ancient civilizations in the world. From a large number of unearthed cultural relics and records of ancient historical documents, it is proved that China coins have a history of at least 4,000 years. During the evolution of the past dynasties, a unique national currency culture in China was formed. With the continuous development of China's commodity trade, it reflects the historical features of politics, economy and finance in various periods. A coin embodies the wisdom of working people, and it is also the rise and fall of political power in past dynasties.
Guizhou coins are currencies with regional culture and occupy a place in the history of coins in China. The development of Guizhou coins reflects the economic and social development of Guizhou. Our province is located in the border of the motherland and is a multi-ethnic area. The provincial government was formally established in Yongle period of Ming Dynasty. In the process of development, our province has its own soft coins cast and printed in the circulation of provinces in various historical periods. People in Guizhou use a lot of metal coins. Although it has been nearly 1000 years, they have made their own coins and issued them in Guizhou Province. A coin tells a story. Recently, a large number of coins of the Han Dynasty were unearthed in the tomb of Houhai, Jiangxi Province, which aroused many people's interest in coins. As an ordinary collector, I would like to introduce Guizhou local coins issued in modern times, many of which were cast or printed in Nanming District. The official first minted coins in Nanming District during the reign of Qing Qianlong, and the address was Xueya Cave, Xueya Road, Nanming District, which reflected the finance and modern times of Nanming.
"Qian Bao Gold Shop": One of the rarest silver coins in modern times.
There is a large private jewelry store in Guiyang called "Qian Bao Jin Dian". The logo of the store is a Guizhou Qianbao silver cake made in the 14th year of Guangxu. Coin experts list "Qian Bao Silver Cake" as one of the 20 rarest silver coins in modern China. "Qian Bao Silver Cake" was first made in A.D. 1888. According to relevant data, "Qian Bao Silver Cake in Guizhou was abandoned by the official department in the early years of Guangxu. Due to the shortage of coins circulating in the province, in order to resist foreign silver dollars flooding the market and imitate the silver dollars made in Guangdong and other places, the "Guizhou Official Furnace" was set up in the old state of our province (now the old state of huangping county), and casting began in the 14th year of Guangxu in Qing Dynasty (1888). In San Qian, silver cakes were divided into seven parts and two parts (one yuan) and six parts (half yuan). Until the 16th year of Guangxu (65438), "Qian Bao Silver Cake" was a semi-handmade coin made by craftsmen, and each coin was different. It is made by embryo making, twisting and pressing, hand chiseling and other processes.
Why is it named "Qian Bao"?
Why is this coin named "Qian Bao"? Qian Jie, a late coin expert in Guizhou, believes that the coin-making institution in Guizhou in the Qing Dynasty was called "Qian Bao Bureau" and was named "Qian Bao" because the Qian Bao Bureau had just been abolished, and the two were related. The word "Qian Bao" can be understood as a special furnace base designated by Guizhou officials, imitating the practice of melting silver ingots and silver cakes in Shanghai and other places, and casting them by hand with simple tools, because "the sky is high and the emperor is far away". Many world numerologists think that "Qian Bao" is a mystery? Everyone thinks that 1888 Guizhou can make "Qian Bao Silver Cake" which is extremely unimaginable. Because it is difficult to see the real thing of "Qian Bao Silver Cake", 1982 The book "World Silver Cake Catalogue" compiled by CHESTER L KRAUSE, an American coin expert, thinks that "Qian Bao Silver Cake" is fictitious, and there is no real "Qian Bao Silver Cake" in museums all over the country at present. As early as 1949, the "Overview of Modern Monetary System in China" compiled by coin expert Shi Jiagan explained the detailed information of "Qian Bao Silver Cake" in the 14th and 16th years of Guangxu in detail, and attached physical rubbings, which fully proved that "Qian Bao Silver Cake" was true. At present, Guizhou Qianbao Silver Cake has rubbings in Zhongmu Cultural Relics Appraisal Center.
Why are "Qian Bao Silver Cakes" rare?
Why are "Qian Bao Silver Cakes" rare? According to historical records, at that time, Guizhou's commerce and finance were underdeveloped, and the amount of coins used was not large, so the amount of casting was also small. During the Ming and Qing Dynasties, Guizhou did not produce silver locally, but mostly imported silver from Yunnan Province, which was time-consuming and laborious and did not require mass production and casting. Secondly, the craft level of Qian Baoyin cake was not high, which was not concerned by the world at that time. In addition, because the silver content of Qian Baoyin cake is as high as 98%, Guizhou minority women especially like to wear silver ornaments. Because of its high silver content, Qianbaoyin cakes are deeply loved by Miao and other ethnic minorities. Some Qianbaoyin cakes are made into ornaments and handed down from generation to generation. From 12 to 17 in the Republic of China, Zhou Xicheng, a warlord in Guizhou, made his own "automobile" silver coins in Chishui and Guiyang, and the preserved "Qian Bao silver cake" just met the raw material standards for private casting of silver coins. During this period, "Qian Bao Silver Cake" was also melted a lot. After liberation, many people didn't know much about the coin collection in the early 1980s because of the characters on the surface of "Qian Bao Silver Cake". Some young people made fashionable silver rings out of "Qian Bao silver cakes" left by the old man at the silversmith on Minsheng Road. At present, there are a large number of imitations of "Qian Bao Silver Cake" on the market. At present, in addition to the six authentic "Qian Bao Silver Cake" recorded, some coin collectors in the province also collect this coin.