Xian Ping Yuan Bao (咸平元寶) - Biscuit coin - Scott Semans

Bingqian (

Traditional Chinese A tradition is a belief or behavior (folk custom) passed down within a group or society with symbolic meaning or special significance with origins in the past. A component of cultural expressions and folklore, common examples include holidays or ...

: 餅錢;

Simplified Chinese Simplification, Simplify, or Simplified may refer to: Mathematics Simplification is the process of replacing a mathematical expression by an equivalent one, that is simpler (usually shorter), for example * Simplification of algebraic expressions, ...

: 饼钱;

Pinyin Hanyu Pinyin (), often shortened to just pinyin, is the official romanization system for Standard Mandarin Chinese in China, and to some extent, in Singapore and Malaysia. It is often used to teach Mandarin, normally written in Chinese for ...

: ''bǐng qián''), or ''Bingxingqian'' (), is a term, which translates into

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

as "biscuit coins", "pie coins", or "cake coins", used by mainland Chinese and

Taiwan Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia, at the junction of the East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, with the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the northwest, Japan to the nort ...

ese coin collectors to refer to

cash coins In economics, cash is money in the physical form of currency, such as banknotes and coins. In bookkeeping and financial accounting, cash is current assets comprising currency or currency equivalents that can be accessed immediately or near-immed ...

with an extremely broad rim as, these cash coins can also be very thick. While the earliest versions of the Bingqian did not extraordinarily broad rims. These cash coins were produced during two distinct periods in

Chinese history The earliest known written records of the history of China date from as early as 1250 BC, from the Shang dynasty (c. 1600–1046 BC), during the reign of king Wu Ding. Ancient historical texts such as the ''Book of Documents'' (early chapter ...

, first they were produced under Emperor

Wang Mang Wang Mang () (c. 45 – 6 October 23 CE), courtesy name Jujun (), was the founder and the only Emperor of China, emperor of the short-lived Chinese Xin dynasty. He was originally an official and consort kin of the Han dynasty and later ...

of the

Xin dynasty The Xin dynasty (; ), also known as Xin Mang () in Chinese historiography, was a short-lived Chinese imperial dynasty which lasted from 9 to 23 AD, established by the Han dynasty consort kin Wang Mang, who usurped the throne of the Emperor Ping o ...

and later again during the reign of Emperor Zhenzong of the

Northern Song dynasty Northern may refer to the following: Geography * North, a point in direction * Northern Europe, the northern part or region of Europe * Northern Highland, a region of Wisconsin, United States * Northern Province, Sri Lanka * Northern Range, a ra ...

. Only a very small quantity of Chinese cash coins were ever produced that had these very broad rims and/or had a very thick composition. While there have been speculations about their use, the purpose of these broad rimmed cash coins have yet to be determined.

Xin dynasty

The first instance of biscuit money had been produced under the reign of Emperor

of the

. He reigned between the years 7 and 23 AD and during this era Huo Quan (貨泉) cash coins which are commonly referred to as Binqian were produced, these cash coins were both heavy in weight and thick in their composition, but differed from the later Song dynasty era Bingqian in that their rims were not significantly broader than those of other cash coins. The inscription of Huo Quan cash coins is read from

right to left In a script (commonly shortened to right to left or abbreviated RTL, RL-TB or R2L), writing starts from the right of the page and continues to the left, proceeding from top to bottom for new lines. Arabic, Hebrew, Persian, Pashto, Urdu, Kashmiri ...

and they were cast beginning in the year 14 AD. Like the later Bingqian, some heave Huo Quan cash coins have four diagonal lines protruding (or radiating) from the corners of the square centre hole of the coin, while uniquely to these cash coins, they can have large blobs situated both above and below the square centre hole. It is suspected that these Wang Mang era Bingqian might be an early form of

Chinese numismatic charm Yansheng Coins (), commonly known as Chinese numismatic charms, refer to a collection of special decorative coins that are mainly used for rituals such as fortune telling, Chinese superstitions, and Feng shui. They originated during the Wester ...

s, but the exact meaning of these symbols remain to be discovered. Regular Huo Quan cash coins tend to have a weight of 3 grams. Huo Quan Bingqian can have a diameter of 23.3 millimeters and a weight of 7 grams, making them heavier than the standard issue Huo Quan cash coins. The largest Huo Quan Bingqian can weigh more than 15 grams.

Song dynasty

During the reign of Emperor Zhenzong of the

, the

era names A regnal year is a year of the reign of a sovereign, from the Latin ''regnum'' meaning kingdom, rule. Regnal years considered the date as an ordinal, not a cardinal number. For example, a monarch could have a first year of rule, a second year o ...

of Xianping (咸平, 998–1003), Jingde (景德, 1004–1007), Dazhong Xiangfu (大中祥符, 1008–1016), and Tianxi (天禧, 1017–1021) were used. Despite these four different reign titles being used during the reign of Emperor Zhenzong, the only known Bingqian from this era contain the inscriptions Xianping Yuanbao (咸平元寶) and Xiangfu Yuanbao (祥符通寶), while no authentic Bingqian with the legends Jingde Yuanbao (景德元寶), Xiangfu Tongbao (祥符通寶), and Tianxi Tongbao (天禧通寶) have ever been recorded. Bingqian have been the subject of works written by notable Chinese numismatic scholars such as Ma Dingxiang (馬定祥) and

Dai Baoting Dai may refer to: Names * Dai (given name), a Welsh or Japanese masculine given name * Dai (surname) (戴), a Chinese surname Places and regimes * Dai Commandery, a commandery of the state of Zhao and in early imperial China * Dai County, in Xinz ...

(戴葆庭), who have all created different hypotheses about both their origin and function, but why these thicker and heavier cash coins were created remains to be discovered. There are a far fewer number of Xiangfu Yuanbao Bingqian recorded than Bingqian versions of Xianping Yuanbao cash coins. The most common Xianping Yuanbao cash coins have a thickness between 2.14 – 2.6 millimeters and they tend to have a weight between 2.2 – 5.8 grams, while a Bingqian versionq of the Xianping Yuanbao can have a diameter as wide as 46.7 millimeters and weight as heavy as 73.2 grams. The largest recorded Xianping Yuanbao Bingqian has a diameter of 66 millimeters. Because Bingqian are thick, they are sometimes confused for

mother coins Mother coins (), alternatively known as ''seed coins'' or ''matrix coins'', were coins used during the early stages of the casting process to produce Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Ryukyuan, and Vietnamese cash coins. As cash coins were produced u ...

, this is not only because of both their heavier build and in some cases their deeper cut characters. While in the year 2019 a "normal" Xianping Yuanbao was valued only at 2 yuan, a Bingqian Xianping Yuanbao cash coin during this same time was valued at 500 yuan on average. Many Bingqian have been discovered in the province of

Sichuan Sichuan (; zh, c=, labels=no, ; zh, p=Sìchuān; alternatively romanized as Szechuan or Szechwan; formerly also referred to as "West China" or "Western China" by Protestant missions) is a province in Southwest China occupying most of the ...

, and its likely that they originated from this region. These heavy cash coins with wide rims are not standardised in both their size and their weight, which means that a large variety of Bingqian from this period have been recorded. It is currently unknown whether or not Bingqian actually circulated as an actual form of currency and what their contemporary value was. It is currently unknown why these very heavy cash coins with broad rims were produced. Chinese numismatist Sun Zhonghui () in his ''Guqian Bitujie'' (古錢幣圖解) attributed these Bingqian with certainty to the Northern Song dynasty period. Furthermore, in ''Guqian Bitujie'' he hypothesised that the Bingqian were created in what is now known as Sichuan because the government of the Song dynasty had confiscated all copper items and circulating

bronze Bronze is an alloy consisting primarily of copper, commonly with about 12–12.5% tin and often with the addition of other metals (including aluminium, manganese, nickel, or zinc) and sometimes non-metals, such as phosphorus, or metalloids such ...

cash coins, which resulted in a shortage of copper in the region. The government had then introduced

iron Iron () is a chemical element with symbol Fe (from la, ferrum) and atomic number 26. It is a metal that belongs to the first transition series and group 8 of the periodic table. It is, by mass, the most common element on Earth, right in f ...

cash coins, or ''tieqian'' (鐡錢), which had dramatically increased the purchasing power of the copper-alloy cash coins while decreasing the purchasing power of iron cash coins. At the time there were three mints operating in Sichuan producing iron cash coins. Because large and heavy copper-alloy coins like these Bingqian would have had real monetary value in Sichuan at the time, Sun Zhonghui notes that the probability is quite likely that these extraordinarily large cash coins had circulated as a valid currency.

Variants

* Some Bingqian have what are called ''si jue'' () reverses, these reverses are found on some Song dynasty period cash coins, which means that these cash coins have the corners of their square centre hole extend somewhat outwards towards the rim of the cash coin. * There have been Xianping Yuanbao Bingqian recorded with a diameter of 26.5 millimeters and a weight of 10.68 grams, 26.5 millimeters, 28.4 millimeters, a Xianping Yuanbao cash coin with a diameter of 30.1 millimeters and a thickness of 2.5 millimeters, one with a diameter of 32.5 millimeters, one with a diameter between 31 and 31.1 millimeters with a thickness between 4.5 and 4.53 millimeters,Jucangtianxi -
65.咸平元宝(折二饼钱) 关注 - www.jucangtianxia.com - 尺寸：直径 31-31.1 mm 厚度 4.5-4.53 mm
Retrieved: 16 February 2020. (in

Mandarin Chinese Mandarin (; ) is a group of Chinese (Sinitic) dialects that are natively spoken across most of northern and southwestern China. The group includes the Beijing dialect, the basis of the phonology of Standard Chinese, the official language of ...

). 34.0 millimeters, and a Xianping Yuanbao Bingqian with a diameter of 44.0 millimeters, a thickness of 6 millimeters, and a weight of 72.0 grams, this specimen further had ''si chu'' (四出, ''sì chū''). * There is a variant of the Bingqian known as "the double-folded cake coins" (). * A Xiangfu Yuanbao Bingqian, which are significantly rarer than Xianping Yuanbao Bingqian, has been recorded with a diameter of 26.4 millimeters and was listed at an auction in the city of

Shanghai Shanghai (; , , Standard Mandarin pronunciation: ) is one of the four direct-administered municipalities of the People's Republic of China (PRC). The city is located on the southern estuary of the Yangtze River, with the Huangpu River flow ...

in the year 2014.Artxun
Xiang fu yuan bao (祥符元宝) auction in Shanghai
Retrieved: 15 February 2016. (in

) * A Xianping Yuanbao with a diameter of 46.7 mm and a weight of 73.2 grams was sold at auction in the year 2013 for $2,623 (which at the time was 17,250 yuan). * The largest Bingqian known to exist is a Xianping Yuanbao with a diameter of 66 millimeters.Artxun
2008 auction, with an estimated price of $9,124 – $15,207 (RMB 60,000 – 100,000)
Retrieved: 15 February 2016. (in

) This cash coin was owned by the Chinese numismatist Ma Dingxiang (馬定祥), it was listed at an auction in the year 2008 with an estimated price of $9,124 – $15,207 (or between 60,000 – 100,000 yuan).

Ming dynasty

During the

Ming dynasty The Ming dynasty (), officially the Great Ming, was an Dynasties in Chinese history, imperial dynasty of China, ruling from 1368 to 1644 following the collapse of the Mongol Empire, Mongol-led Yuan dynasty. The Ming dynasty was the last ort ...

some Chongzhen Tongbao ( were produced, these cash coins have a diameter of 24 millimeters and a weight of 5.9 grams, as well as ''si jue'' (四訣), which are four lines radiating outward from the four corners of the square centre hole on the reverse side of the coin.

Notes

References

Sources

* * Ma Dingxiang (马定祥) - ''Ancient Chinese coins''《历代古钱图说》, August 1999 (1999年8月). (in

). *

Peng Xinwei Peng Xinwei 彭信威 (P'eng Hsin-wei) (1907–1967) was a Chinese economic historian, and author of ''A Monetary History of China''. Life Peng was born in Yantian, Xixiang, Jiangxi province, in 1907. After studying in Japan, he became a banker ...

(彭信威) (1954

007 The ''James Bond'' series focuses on a fictional British Secret Service agent created in 1953 by writer Ian Fleming, who featured him in twelve novels and two short-story collections. Since Fleming's death in 1964, eight other authors have ...

. ''Zhongguo huobi shi'' (中國貨幣史) (

: Qunlian chubanshe), 580–581, 597–605. (in

). * Peng Xinwei (彭信威) (1994) ''A monetary history of China'' (translated by Edward H. Kaplan). Western Washington University ( Bellingham,

Washington Washington commonly refers to: * Washington (state), United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A metonym for the federal government of the United States ** Washington metropolitan area, the metropolitan area centered on ...

). * Sun Zhonghui (孫仲匯) - ''Guqian Bitujie'' (古錢幣圖解). {{Chinese currency and coinage Coins of China Cash coins Song dynasty Chinese numismatics