Coin Tree Mold, China, 1862-1874
date: label: date made
content: 1862 - 1874
notes: label: Description (Brief)
content: One (1) coin tree
label: Description (Brief)
content: China, 1862-1874
label: Description
content: The saying “money doesn’t grow on trees” clearly didn’t originate in China, because until the late 19th century, this actually was the case. Quite different from the method of striking coins popularized in Europe, Chinese coin makers would manufacture coins by pouring molten metal into master molds. When the metal cooled, the new coins were connected to a rod made from metal that had cooled in the middle of the cast, rather than in a coin mold. The result resembled branches stemming from the trunk of a tree, earning the name, “Coin Tree.” The cooled metal coins would then be carefully broken off from the metal rod and sanded down to create the finished products.
label: Location
content: Currently not on view
place: label: place made
content: China
label: associated place
content: China
setName: label: See more items in
content: Work and Industry: National Numismatic Collection
label: See more items in
content: East Asian Coins
publisher: label: Related Publication
content: Feingold, Ellen R.. Value of Money, The
creditLine: label: Credit Line
content: Chase Manhattan Bank
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: National Museum of American History
identifier: label: ID Number
content: NU.79.112.CM00337
label: accession number
content: 1979.1263
label: collector/donor number
content: CM00337
label: catalog number
content: 79.112.CM00337
objectType: label: Object Name
content: coin tree
physicalDescription: label: Physical Description
content: metal (overall material)
label: Measurements
content: overall: 60.3 cm x 5.9 cm x 2.6 cm; 23 3/4 in x 2 5/16 in x 1 1/32 in