Coin of the Week: Ancient Chinese Kang Xi Tong Bao

Obverse (Inscription: Kang Xi Tong Bao)

Reverse (Inscription: Currency and Issuing Mint)

 

A friend of mine, Mike, sent me pictures of four coins a neighbor had given him when he was seven. He wanted me to find out where these coins originated. That request ended up being one of the most interesting coin research projects that I’ve undertaken! So this week, I’m highlighting one of the four coins – the kang xi tong bao.

The Chinese civilization was one of the first to use money, with coins being issued as early as the 11th century BC. The tong bao (meaning “universal currency” or “circulating currency”) was introduced during the Tang Dynasty (618 – 907) to replace the wu zhu, a coin/currency that had been in circulation for approximately 700 years. The kang xi tong bao was issued by the Kangxi Emperor during the Qing Dynasty (1644 – 1911). The Kangxi Emperor was the fourth emperor of this Dynasty and reigned China from 1662-1722. Kangxi was the longest ruling Chinese emperor, reigning over 60 years.

The kang xi tong bao was minted in bronze. Considered a “cash coin” (like all tong bao coins), the value of the coin was pegged to silver as had been defined at the beginning of the Qing Dynasty. The characters on the obverse of the coin have to be read as follows: top (康 kang), bottom (熙 xi), right (通 tong) and then left (宝 bao). The top and bottom characters usually stated what “period” the coin was from, the right and left characters stated that the coin was “currency”. These coins were cast at several mints throughout China, and the obverse included the Manchu character for bao, pronounced “boo” (meaning "building" but in this case used to mean “currency” or "treasure”) on the left as well as the issuing mint on the right. This particular coin was minted at the Beijing Board of Works.

After deciphering a couple of the obverse characters (bao being the key character!), I gathered most of the details concerning this coin from a really informative website/blog run by Gary Ashkenazy. I hope you find his site as interesting as I did.

Also, if you have any coins that you would like me to research and write about, please let me know!

 

Coin of the Week: 1903 North Borneo 5 Cents

Obverse (Image: Denomination)

Reverse (Image: National Arms with Supporters)

The chartered British North Borneo Company was formed in 1881 to administer what today is known as Sabah in the territory of East Malaysia. The original Company charter can be found in the Cornell University Library. The Company exercised its rights to the territory until World War II, when the Japanese government took power from 1942 - 1945. After the war, the British military administration took control of the territory until North Borneo joined the new state of Malaysia in 1963.

The British North Borneo dollar was the currency of the territory from 1882 - 1953, with 100 cents equaling one dollar. The British North Borneo Company issued both coins and banknotes.

The obverse of the 5 cent piece states the denomination within a circle, the year of issue and "State of North Borneo". The reverse depicts the coat of arms of the British North Borneo Company. It consists of a crest with images of a lion above a dhow (a native sailing boat). Above the crest, two arms are grasping the flag of the Governor of British North Borneo. The crest is supported by two Borneo natives (the Dayak peoples). While the native on the left holds a shield, the one on the right holds a sword. Below the crest (hard to decipher on my coin image) is the Company motto Pergo et perago, Latin for "I undertake and I achieve".

Coin of the Week: 1987 West Africa 50 Francs

Obverse (Image: Taku-Ashanti Gold Weight)

Reverse (Image: Denomination within mixed beans, grains and nuts)

The West African CFA franc is the currency of eight countries in West Africa: Benin, Burkina Faso, Ivory Coast, Guinea - Bissau, Mali, Niger, Senegal and Togo. The West African CFA (Communauté financière d'Afrique or "Financial Community of Africa") franc is equal to the Central African CFA franc, a currency used by six central African countries. The CFA franc was introduced to the French colonies in 1945 to replace the French West African franc. It is currently pegged to the Euro with 1 Euro equaling 655.597 CFA francs.

The obverse of the coin depicts a Taku-Ashanti gold weight. The Ashanti are a people from modern-day Ghana and the Ivory Coast. Around the 1400s, they started using these weights on scales to weigh gold dust that was used as currency. The gold weights were often symbolic of Ashanti proverbs and culture. More information can be found here: Ashanti Gold Weights. The reverse of the coins depicts representative foodstuff from the region: beans, grains and nuts.

Coin of the Week: 1923 US Dollar ("Peace")

Obverse (Image: Liberty)

Reverse (Image: Bald Eagle)

With the passing of Labor Day in the United States, I decided to highlight an American coin this week.

The currency of the United States of America is the US dollar, with 100 cents equaling one dollar. The US dollar was created by the Coinage Act of 1792, but it’s interesting to note that both the Mexican peso and Spanish dollar also remained legal tender until 1857.

The first dollar coin was minted in 1795 and was known as the Flowing Hair Dollar. The Peace dollar was minted from 1921 – 1928 and again in 1934 and 1935. The design of the coin was the result of a competition won by Anthony de Francisci to commemorate the peace following World War I. The obverse depicts a profile of Liberty with a crown similar to the one on the Statue of Liberty. This side of the coin also includes the word “Liberty” and the motto “In God We Trust”, both requirements of the competition.

The reverse of the coin depicts a bald eagle perched on a mountain top, holding an olive branch. Included on the reverse are the denomination, the name of the country and E pluribus unum, with all three also requirements of the competition. In addition, de Francisci included the word “Peace” on this side of the coin. The phrase E pluribus unum is Latin for “out of many, one” and was adopted in 1782 by an Act of Congress.

More information on the Peace dollar can be found in this interview: Interview with Peace dollar historian Roger Burdette.