The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-08-01
COINS OF 20 CENTURIES.
A Valuable Collection Given to the
National Museum.
From the Washington Post.


The Smithsonian Institution has recent
ly received by bequest a collection of
Chinese coins, which may be said to be
more complete than any of the great col
lections, not excepting the famous col
lection of the British museum in London
or the Bibliotheque Rationale in Paris.
The priceless collection was bequeathed
by the late G. B. Glover, formerly of the
Chinese imperial maritime customs, a
man of recognized ability as a numismat-
list and a collector of many years stand
ing, who by awaiting himself Of a long
residence and knowledge of the country
and an intimacy with the natives, had
opportunities rarely offered to foreigners.
The collection represents the coinage of
China from no B. c. TO the present day.
including very many specimens of those
peculiar pieces used both as coins and re-
isious medals, molds of divers shapes,
notes both governmental and private, and
those coins of foreign countries struck
from time to time for commercial use
with China, such as the dollars of Eng
fish, Danish. American, and Mexican man
ufacture, as well as the entire series OF
the coinage of the Annamese, Japanese,
Coreans, and the Mohammedan cities of
China itself
To describe this collection would require
a volumne. for in fact, it is a history of
the manners and customs, depicted in inn
perishable bronze, of a great nation,
| whose era of civilization antedates even
| the dawn of that of Greece and Rome, 1t
| represents the religious observances, the
| various dynasties rebellions and insur-
| rections, overthrow of reignng families,
and changes in form Of government.
The primitive mode OF commercial eX-
oh, ~, in oil at 1trs
was by means of barter and interchange
| OF certain products Of the earth such as
! wheat and rice or THOSE of manual labor.
| as silks, arms, Implements etc. From this
method of exchange originated the mode
/ of coinage, the first coins being shaped
from the articles which they were to rep
/ resent in value. Thus the first coins of
! China were shaped to represent knives,
| spades, and other articles of barter which
! they WerF9 to represent In value, the idea
/ being that the coins would be more easily
transported and boarded than the original
/ articles.
The earliestsrecord of China shows that
Snnung. thelsecond known emperor, who
/ reigned about the year 2737 b. c., institu-
| ted market place in his empire in order
! to gather merchandise and silks. Thee
! in the daytime the market was held IN
| which the people exchanged their pro-
| ducts. At this time the travelling mer-
/ was supposed to have originated during
the reign of Tai-hao 1852 r. c. 1t was lin
tied in circulation being used solely by
the merchants and not by the agricultur-
al or country people.
In this reign money was called kin or
metal; in that of Gen-nue-si, 1862 B. c.,
down to Kao-sin-si, 2535 B. c., no" or
| merchandise; in that Of Tao-tang-si the
coinage was called "tsuen,' or fountain,
it was maintained that money flowed
as fast as a fountain, that II spread more
widely than "pu," a piece of hemp OF silk
cloth, which was current as money, and
that It was better than tao" or knives.
The money Of the first three dynasties.
to 1866 e. c.. is described as having been
made of three kinds of metal-yelow
, (gold), white (silver), red (copper)-cio,h
(hemp and silk, knives and spades Of
iron, tortoise she'll, and cowries The tao
coins were of iron, in form and imitation
Of a knife, as knives were among the ear
lest articles of trade In general use. Be
fore money was current the shape was
retained as currency The first tao
coins were cast 2i53 i. c., the inscription
meaning Ito exchange for merchandise"
AT this time old silver and copper began
to circulate more freely, and the tao or
knife money gradually disappeared.
When Wang-Mang. A. D. IA, became
Emperor Of China he reintroduced the tao.
or knife-shaped coins, and called them
ki-tao, meaning "knives to make agree
ment or bonds;" they were legal tender
for 50 cash. To create a higher value for
this coinage Wang Mang issued coins OF
the same shape washed in gold, inscribed
'Ts'o-Tao' Cgilded knives. or precious
merchandise'D. having an arbitrary valua-
ton OF so cash. The gliding wearing off
in time left but the inscription 10 in
dictate the value, and the issuance OF tso-
tao was abolished to be replaced by the
no or "pu' coinage Of cloth money,
representing the shape Of dress pattern.
the inscription "Ho Pu" meaning mer-
chandise cloth" These were usually OF
cast iron. though sometimes Of copper
After the final abolition ofsthe tao coin
age or knife money which Wang Mang
had reintroduced I'm A. y. II. a new kind
Of iron money was coined. These pieces
were called "yiktsep." meaning Blended
round and surrounded with red" on ac-
count Of the raised edge Of the coin
which was made Of red copper In
short time the countcrfclts we're 80 nu-
merous that this coinage had to be dis
continued. An imperial mint was estab-
lished. and the officers Of the sangiin
ACADEMY OF Science were appointed mint
masters. and the provinces ceased 10 coin
their own money. The pieces OF five tsu
we're then issued remaining the princl-
pal money IN circulation Tor 800 years
Then free coinage was resumed and an
entirely now coin was instituted.
The. new coins were circular, with a
square hole IN the center. In accordance
with the Chinese belief that the "heav.
ems are round ana the earth SQUARE"
This coin was called "kai-guen-p-llng-
nao." remaining until the present dav
Upon the diverse the inscription reads.
Current money Of the newest beginning"
and in the cXcrgue the date Of the year
Of the emper0r's reign. Upon the reverse
can Doe seen the nail mark which tradl-
ton says was done by the Empress Wen.
TEX. who. when shown the now design
modelled in WAX, reached FOR % and ieft
the imprint Of her finger nail upon a. Az
the mint masters did not dare onnce the
mark. ~ has remained on the coins ever
since These coins are called cash" by
the foreigners. and by the nutves "isieu
Tho Chimes "faol' of fne present dav h
divided into 10 mace or %, 800 candareanf
or Fan. and 100 cash or fneu. Tho in.
tnnHIc value ~ this currency o. whni.
over che mixture of uH. Fpelter. COPPER.
and iron " fhe same WclFbt would bring.
yet che taei Of 100 cash pieces passes