The use of historical money in Tibet started in ancient times, when
Tibet
Tibet (; ''Böd''; ) is a region in East Asia, covering much of the Tibetan Plateau and spanning about . It is the traditional homeland of the Tibetan people. Also resident on the plateau are some other ethnic groups such as Monpa people, ...
had no coined
currency
A currency, "in circulation", from la, currens, -entis, literally meaning "running" or "traversing" is a standardization of money in any form, in use or circulation as a medium of exchange, for example banknotes and coins.
A more general def ...
of its own.
Barter
In trade, barter (derived from ''baretor'') is a system of exchange in which participants in a transaction directly exchange goods or services for other goods or services without using a medium of exchange, such as money. Economists distingu ...
ing was common,
gold
Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au (from la, aurum) and atomic number 79. This makes it one of the higher atomic number elements that occur naturally. It is a bright, slightly orange-yellow, dense, soft, malleable, and ductile met ...
was a medium of exchange, and
shell money
Shell money is a medium of trade, exchange similar to coin money and other forms of commodity money, and was once commonly used in many parts of the world. Shell money usually consisted of whole or partial sea shells, often worked into beads or o ...
and stone
beads
A bead is a small, decorative object that is formed in a variety of shapes and sizes of a material such as stone, bone, shell, glass, plastic, wood, or pearl and with a small hole for threading or stringing. Beads range in size from under ...
were used for very small purchases. A few
coin
A coin is a small, flat (usually depending on the country or value), round piece of metal or plastic used primarily as a medium of exchange or legal tender. They are standardized in weight, and produced in large quantities at a mint in order t ...
s from other countries were also occasionally in use.
Coins were first used in a more extensive way in the 17th century: these were
silver
Silver is a chemical element with the Symbol (chemistry), symbol Ag (from the Latin ', derived from the Proto-Indo-European wikt:Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/h₂erǵ-, ''h₂erǵ'': "shiny" or "white") and atomic number 47. A soft, whi ...
coins supplied by
Nepal
Nepal (; ne, नेपाल ), formerly the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal ( ne,
सङ्घीय लोकतान्त्रिक गणतन्त्र नेपाल ), is a landlocked country in South Asia. It is mai ...
. There were however various difficulties with this system. In 1763-64 and 1785, the first silver coins were struck in Tibet. In 1792 the first mass-produced silver coins were created under joint
Chinese
Chinese can refer to:
* Something related to China
* Chinese people, people of Chinese nationality, citizenship, and/or ethnicity
**''Zhonghua minzu'', the supra-ethnic concept of the Chinese nation
** List of ethnic groups in China, people of ...
and local Tibetan authority. Coins bearing Tibetan inscriptions only were subsequently replaced by issues which had Chinese and Tibetan legends. This lasted until the 1830s. In 1840, purely Tibetan coinage was struck under Tibetan authority, and this coinage continued being made until 1954, with only two short interruptions when
Sino-Tibetan
Sino-Tibetan, also cited as Trans-Himalayan in a few sources, is a family of more than 400 languages, second only to Indo-European in number of native speakers. The vast majority of these are the 1.3 billion native speakers of Chinese languages. ...
coins were issued.
In 1910, the Tibetan government started producing a large range of
copper
Copper is a chemical element with the symbol Cu (from la, cuprum) and atomic number 29. It is a soft, malleable, and ductile metal with very high thermal and electrical conductivity. A freshly exposed surface of pure copper has a pinkis ...
and
silver
Silver is a chemical element with the Symbol (chemistry), symbol Ag (from the Latin ', derived from the Proto-Indo-European wikt:Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/h₂erǵ-, ''h₂erǵ'': "shiny" or "white") and atomic number 47. A soft, whi ...
coins of different denominations, and in 1918 to 1921, gold coins were struck. Tibetan
banknote
A banknote—also called a bill (North American English), paper money, or simply a note—is a type of negotiable instrument, negotiable promissory note, made by a bank or other licensed authority, payable to the bearer on demand.
Banknotes w ...
s were first issued in 1913. From 1955 to 1959 no more Tibetan coins were created, although banknotes were still being printed, and by 1959 all of the money was gradually being replaced with
renminbi
The renminbi (; symbol: ¥; ISO code: CNY; abbreviation: RMB) is the official currency of the People's Republic of China and one of the world's most traded currencies, ranking as the fifth most traded currency in the world as of April 2022. ...
yuan (the official currency of the People's Republic of China).
Methods of exchange in ancient Tibet
In ancient
Tibet
Tibet (; ''Böd''; ) is a region in East Asia, covering much of the Tibetan Plateau and spanning about . It is the traditional homeland of the Tibetan people. Also resident on the plateau are some other ethnic groups such as Monpa people, ...
, the use of coins was insignificant. Tibet's main neighbours,
India
India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...
,
Nepal
Nepal (; ne, नेपाल ), formerly the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal ( ne,
सङ्घीय लोकतान्त्रिक गणतन्त्र नेपाल ), is a landlocked country in South Asia. It is mai ...
and
China
China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...
had had their own coinage since time immemorial. Ancient Tibet however had no locally-struck coinage, although a certain number of coins from Nepal, Chinese
Turkestan
Turkestan, also spelled Turkistan ( fa, ترکستان, Torkestân, lit=Land of the Turks), is a historical region in Central Asia corresponding to the regions of Transoxiana and Xinjiang.
Overview
Known as Turan to the Persians, western Turke ...
and China had reached Tibet by way of
trade
Trade involves the transfer of goods and services from one person or entity to another, often in exchange for money. Economists refer to a system or network that allows trade as a market.
An early form of trade, barter, saw the direct excha ...
, or as donations to important
monasteries
A monastery is a building or complex of buildings comprising the domestic quarters and workplaces of monastics, monks or nuns, whether living in communities or alone (hermits). A monastery generally includes a place reserved for prayer which ...
. Some of these foreign coins may have entered circulation, but they did not develop into an important instrument for transactions in daily life, because most of the trade within Tibet and also the foreign trade were carried out via
barter
In trade, barter (derived from ''baretor'') is a system of exchange in which participants in a transaction directly exchange goods or services for other goods or services without using a medium of exchange, such as money. Economists distingu ...
.Pennant, Thomas (1798) ''The View of Hindoostan, vol. I Western Hindoostan'', Henry Hughs, London
Bartering
Tibet had the biggest trade volume with China, the main barter items being
horse
The horse (''Equus ferus caballus'') is a domesticated, one-toed, hoofed mammal. It belongs to the taxonomic family Equidae and is one of two extant subspecies of ''Equus ferus''. The horse has evolved over the past 45 to 55 million y ...
s from north-eastern Tibet (
Amdo
Amdo ( am˥˥.to˥˥ ) is one of the three traditional Tibetan regions, the others being U-Tsang in the west and Kham in the east. Ngari (including former Guge kingdom) in the north-west was incorporated into Ü-Tsang. Amdo is also the bi ...
), which were traded for
Chinese tea
Tea is a beverage made from the leaves of tea plants ('' Camellia sinensis'') and boiled water. Tea leaves are processed using traditional Chinese methods. Chinese tea is consumed throughout the day, including during meals, as a substitute for ...
. Tibet also exported medicinal
herb
In general use, herbs are a widely distributed and widespread group of plants, excluding vegetables and other plants consumed for macronutrients, with savory or aromatic properties that are used for flavoring and garnishing food, for medicinal ...
s, stag
antler
Antlers are extensions of an animal's skull found in members of the Cervidae (deer) family. Antlers are a single structure composed of bone, cartilage, fibrous tissue, skin, nerves, and blood vessels. They are generally found only on male ...
s,
musk
Musk (Persian: مشک, ''Mushk'') is a class of aromatic substances commonly used as base notes in perfumery. They include glandular secretions from animals such as the musk deer, numerous plants emitting similar fragrances, and artificial sub ...
and
gold
Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au (from la, aurum) and atomic number 79. This makes it one of the higher atomic number elements that occur naturally. It is a bright, slightly orange-yellow, dense, soft, malleable, and ductile met ...
to China, and apart from
tea
Tea is an aromatic beverage prepared by pouring hot or boiling water over cured or fresh leaves of '' Camellia sinensis'', an evergreen shrub native to East Asia which probably originated in the borderlands of southwestern China and northe ...
, the Tibetan traders imported
silk
Silk is a natural protein fiber, some forms of which can be woven into textiles. The protein fiber of silk is composed mainly of fibroin and is produced by certain insect larvae to form cocoons. The best-known silk is obtained from the coc ...
cloth,
porcelain
Porcelain () is a ceramic material made by heating substances, generally including materials such as kaolinite, in a kiln to temperatures between . The strength and translucence of porcelain, relative to other types of pottery, arises mainl ...
and
silver
Silver is a chemical element with the Symbol (chemistry), symbol Ag (from the Latin ', derived from the Proto-Indo-European wikt:Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/h₂erǵ-, ''h₂erǵ'': "shiny" or "white") and atomic number 47. A soft, whi ...
from China.
The trade volume with Tibet's southern neighbours, India, Nepal and
Bhutan
Bhutan (; dz, འབྲུག་ཡུལ་, Druk Yul ), officially the Kingdom of Bhutan,), is a landlocked country in South Asia. It is situated in the Eastern Himalayas, between China in the north and India in the south. A mountainous ...
, was much smaller. The Tibetan traders mainly exchanged
salt
Salt is a mineral composed primarily of sodium chloride (NaCl), a chemical compound belonging to the larger class of salts; salt in the form of a natural crystalline mineral is known as rock salt or halite. Salt is present in vast quantitie ...
and
wool
Wool is the textile fibre obtained from sheep and other mammals, especially goats, rabbits, and camelids. The term may also refer to inorganic materials, such as mineral wool and glass wool, that have properties similar to animal wool.
As ...
for
grain
A grain is a small, hard, dry fruit (caryopsis) – with or without an attached hull layer – harvested for human or animal consumption. A grain crop is a grain-producing plant. The two main types of commercial grain crops are cereals and legum ...
(including
rice
Rice is the seed of the grass species ''Oryza sativa'' (Asian rice) or less commonly ''Oryza glaberrima
''Oryza glaberrima'', commonly known as African rice, is one of the two domesticated rice species. It was first domesticated and grown i ...
) with these countries. Traditionally one measure of salt was traded for one measure of grain at the border with Nepal and India. Other, less important export goods were
yak
The domestic yak (''Bos grunniens''), also known as the Tartary ox, grunting ox or hairy cattle, is a species of long-haired domesticated cattle found throughout the Himalayan region of the Indian subcontinent, the Tibetan Plateau, Kachin Sta ...
tails,
musk
Musk (Persian: مشک, ''Mushk'') is a class of aromatic substances commonly used as base notes in perfumery. They include glandular secretions from animals such as the musk deer, numerous plants emitting similar fragrances, and artificial sub ...
and live animals (
goat
The goat or domestic goat (''Capra hircus'') is a domesticated species of goat-antelope typically kept as livestock. It was domesticated from the wild goat (''C. aegagrus'') of Southwest Asia and Eastern Europe. The goat is a member of the a ...
s and
sheep
Sheep or domestic sheep (''Ovis aries'') are domesticated, ruminant mammals typically kept as livestock. Although the term ''sheep'' can apply to other species in the genus ''Ovis'', in everyday usage it almost always refers to domesticated s ...
). For the 17th century, the export of
falcon
Falcons () are birds of prey in the genus ''Falco'', which includes about 40 species. Falcons are widely distributed on all continents of the world except Antarctica, though closely related raptors did occur there in the Eocene.
Adult falcons ...
s to India is also recorded.
For large transactions within Tibet, gold dust (probably tied up in small leather bags) and Chinese silver
ingot
An ingot is a piece of relatively pure material, usually metal, that is cast into a shape suitable for further processing. In steelmaking, it is the first step among semi-finished casting products. Ingots usually require a second procedure of sh ...
s were used. These ingots came in different shapes; the most common kind resembled
horseshoe
A horseshoe is a fabricated product designed to protect a horse hoof from wear. Shoes are attached on the palmar surface (ground side) of the hooves, usually nailed through the insensitive hoof wall that is anatomically akin to the human toen ...
s or donkey shoes, and were named "rta rmig ma" in Tibetan.Bertsch, Wolfgang (2006) ''The Use of Tea Bricks as Currency among the Tibetans. Der Primitivgeldsammler, Mitteilungsblatt der Europäischen Vereinigung zum Sammeln, Bewahren und Erforschen von ursprünglichen und außergewöhnlichen Geldformen'', EUCOPRIMO. Vol. 27, No. 1, Rüsselsheim, pp. 19–51
For small transactions, various consumer goods (which had about the same standard value among the majority of the Tibetans) could be used. Among others, these were
areca nut
''Areca'' is a genus of 51 species of palms in the family Arecaceae, found in humid tropical forests from the islands of the Philippines, Malaysia and India, across Southeast Asia to Melanesia. The generic name ''Areca'' is derived from a name u ...
s,
tobacco
Tobacco is the common name of several plants in the genus '' Nicotiana'' of the family Solanaceae, and the general term for any product prepared from the cured leaves of these plants. More than 70 species of tobacco are known, but the ...
, ceremonial scarves (
khata
A ''khata'' or ''khatag'', ''dhar'', Mongolian: mn, хадаг, label=none, , or ; ne, खतक ; . is a traditional ceremonial scarf in Tibetan Buddhism and in tengerism. It originated in Tibetan culture and is common in cultures and cou ...
s, also named ''khadags'';
Tibetan
Tibetan may mean:
* of, from, or related to Tibet
* Tibetan people, an ethnic group
* Tibetan language:
** Classical Tibetan, the classical language used also as a contemporary written standard
** Standard Tibetan, the most widely used spoken dial ...
: ''kha btags'') and teaGabrisch, Karl (1990) ''Geld aus Tibet'', Winterthur &
Rikon
is a 1952 black-and-white Cinema of Japan, Japanese film directed by Masahiro Makino.
Cast
* Ureo Egawa as Shōgo Yamamura
* Yuriko Hanabusa as Natsuno Sōma
* Chōko Iida as Kikuyo
* Michiyo Kogure as Michiko Sōma
* Noriko Munakata as Tsuru ...
Tea was usually traded in the form of
tea brick
Compressed tea, called tea bricks, tea cakes or tea lumps, and tea nuggets according to the shape and size, are blocks of whole or finely ground black tea, green tea, or post-fermented tea leaves that have been packed in molds and pressed i ...
s (Tibetan: ''ja sbag''). This developed into the most important medium of exchange in the 19th century, when a regular coinage had already been introduced into Tibet.
Shell money and stone bead money
For very small purchases,
cowries
Cowrie or cowry () is the common name for a group of small to large sea snails, marine gastropod mollusks in the family Cypraeidae, the cowries.
The term '' porcelain'' derives from the old Italian term for the cowrie shell (''porcellana' ...
(small
seashell
A seashell or sea shell, also known simply as a shell, is a hard, protective outer layer usually created by an animal or organism that lives in the sea. The shell is part of the body of the animal. Empty seashells are often found washe ...
s which were mainly procured in the
Maldive Islands
Maldives (, ; dv, ދިވެހިރާއްޖެ, translit=Dhivehi Raajje, ), officially the Republic of Maldives ( dv, ދިވެހިރާއްޖޭގެ ޖުމްހޫރިއްޔާ, translit=Dhivehi Raajjeyge Jumhooriyyaa, label=none, ), is an archipelag ...
and reached Tibet and China via
Bengal
Bengal ( ; bn, বাংলা/বঙ্গ, translit=Bānglā/Bôngô, ) is a geopolitical, cultural and historical region in South Asia, specifically in the eastern part of the Indian subcontinent at the apex of the Bay of Bengal, predom ...
) and stone beads are recorded as being in use as money in ancient TibetXiao Huaiyuan (1987) ''Xi zang di fang huo bi shi'' (''The History of Tibetan Money''), Beijing
Gold currency before 1650
Before the government of the 5th Dalai Lama was established various small gold ingots circulated in Tibet, some of which were marked with stamps. So far there exists no consent whether these pieces could be regarded as coins.
We are well informed about this type of gold currency, which was called "gold sho" (Tibetan: ''gser sho'') because officials of finance of the new Tibetan government received tax payments in the form of these small gold ingots. The officials had to convert these into the current monetary standard. In order to assess the fineness of these pieces one used a standardized gold weight unit, which was referred to as Sewa (Tibetan: ''se ba'') The following types of gold pieces are recorded in lists of the finance officials:
Furthermore, pieces designated as Tsangsho (Tib.: ''gtsang zho'') are mentioned, but their gold weight is not specified.
Lastly a form of gold currency named Sertam (Tib.: ''gser tam'') is mentioned which had a gold weight of 2 sewas. Fifteen Sertam corresponded to one standard Changsho (Chagsho Tshema; Tibetan: ''byang zho tshad ma''). The currency unit Gursho (Tibetan: mgur-zho) was already mentioned by Sarat Chandra Das in his Tibetan-English Dictionary. According to this author 1 Gursho = 24 sewas.
Silver ingots
Chinese silver ingots (
sycee
A sycee (;.. from Cantonese , , ). or yuanbao () was a type of gold and silver ingot currency used in imperial China from its founding under the Qin dynasty until the fall of the Qing in the 20th century. Sycee were not made by a central ban ...
) were used until the 20th century for larger transactions. They were referred to as ''rta rmig ma'' ("horse hoof") and normally weighed 50
Kashgar
Kashgar ( ug, قەشقەر, Qeshqer) or Kashi ( zh, c=喀什) is an oasis city in the Tarim Basin region of Southern Xinjiang. It is one of the westernmost cities of China, near the border with Afghanistan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Pakistan ...
, as "yambus", an expression which derives from Chinese yuanbao.
Coinage
Earliest coinage, 17th and 18th centuries
The first coinage which was extensively used in southern Tibet was silver coins, which were supplied by the Nepalese Malla Kingdoms and the first kings of the subsequent
Shah dynasty
The Shah dynasty ( ne, शाह वंश), also known as the Shahs of Gorkha or the Royal House of Gorkha, was the ruling Chaubise Thakuri dynasty ; and the founder of Gorkha Kingdom from 1559 to 1768 and later the unified Kingdom of Nepal ...
from about 1640 until 1791.Rhodes, Nicholas G., Gabrisch, Karl & Valdettaro, Carlo (1989) ''The Coinage of Nepal from the earliest times until 1911'', Royal Numismatic Society, Special Publication, No. 21, London
Tibet provided the silver for the striking of these coins and received coins at the same weight, the Nepalese reaping a handsome profit by alloying the pure silver with copper before the striking of the coins. Owing to a dispute between Nepal and Tibet regarding the fineness of the silver coins supplied by Nepal, the export of these coins was disrupted after the mid-eighteenth century.Martynov, A. S.: ''O pervych chekankakh monety v Tibete'' Kratkie Soobshcheniia Akademia Nauk SSSR, Institut Narodoz Azji'', No. 69, Moscow, pp. 197–202Martynov, A.S. (July/Sept 1987) ''Some Aspects of the Qing Policy in Tibet at the Close of the 18th Century. Prehistory of the Manzhou Invasion of Nepal in 1792'', Rolamba, Journal of the Joshi Research Institute, Vol. 7, No. 3, Kathmandu, pp. 6–20. Adapted from 1983: Manzhou Rule in China ', Moscow, pp. 216–234.Bertsch, Wolfgang & Gabrisch, Karl (1986) ''Some Varieties of Tibet’s First Struck Coins'', Numismatics International Bulletin, Vol. 20, No. 6, Dallas, pp. 125–128.Gabrisch, Karl & Wolfgang Bertsch (translator) (March 1999) ''The First Coins Struck in Tibet'', Numismatics International Bulletin, Vol. 34, No. 3, Dallas, p.pp. 56–63.
In order to overcome the shortage of coins in Tibet at that time, the Tibetan government started striking its own coins, modelled on Nepalese prototypes. This occurred in 1763-64 and again in 1785 without any interference by the Chinese government.
The Nepalese tried to carry on the very lucrative coin business during the
Shah dynasty
The Shah dynasty ( ne, शाह वंश), also known as the Shahs of Gorkha or the Royal House of Gorkha, was the ruling Chaubise Thakuri dynasty ; and the founder of Gorkha Kingdom from 1559 to 1768 and later the unified Kingdom of Nepal ...
which had been established by
Prithvi Narayan Shah
Maharajadhiraj Prithvi Narayan Shah (1723–1775) ( ne, श्री ५ बडामहाराजाधिराज पृथ्वीनारायण शाह देव) was the last ruler of the Gorkha Kingdom and first monarch of the ...
in the
Kathmandu Valley
The Kathmandu Valley ( ne, काठमाडौं उपत्यका; also known as the Nepal Valley or Nepa Valley ( ne, नेपाः उपत्यका, Nepal Bhasa: 𑐣𑐾𑐥𑐵𑑅 𑐐𑐵𑑅, नेपाः गाः)), ...
in 1768. First the Nepalese supplied
mohar
The Mohur is a gold coin that was formerly minted by several governments, including British India and some of the princely states which existed alongside it, the Mughal Empire, Kingdom of Nepal, and Persia (chiefly Afghanistan). It was usually ...
s (silver coins which weighed about 5.4 grams) of good silver, but wanted these to circulate at the rate of one new mohar for two of the old adulterated silver coins struck by the Malla kings. This would have meant a tremendous loss for the Tibetan traders, and so the Tibetan Government did not accept these terms.Rhodes, Nicholas G. (Winter 1990) The first Coins struck in Tibet ', Tibet Journal, Vol. 15, No. 4, Dharamsala, pp. 115–134.
The second Shah king, who ruled from
Pratap Singh Shah
Pratap Singh Shah, King of Nepal ( ne, श्री ५ महाराजाधिराज प्रतापसिंह शाह देव) (1751–1777) was the second King of modern Nepal. He was the eldest son of Prithvi Narayan Shah, the ...
, supplied
alloy
An alloy is a mixture of chemical elements of which at least one is a metal. Unlike chemical compounds with metallic bases, an alloy will retain all the properties of a metal in the resulting material, such as electrical conductivity, ductility, ...
ed silver coins during the period 1775 until 1777. Thereafter, when the Nepalese again tried to introduce into Tibet coins of good silver, which should have circulated at a considerable premium compared with the Malla and Pratap Simha coins, the Tibetans refused which resulted in a disruption of trade between Nepal and Tibet. Tibet again experimented with its own coinage in 1785, in order to mitigate the shortage of silver coins.
End of the 18th century
In order to resume the profitable coin export on their terms, the Nepalese invaded Tibet in 1788 and again in 1790/91. When the Tibetan Government turned to China for help, an imperial army was sent to Tibet. Together with the Tibetan army they managed to drive out the Nepalese by the autumn of 1792.
The Chinese took this opportunity to tighten their grip on Tibet, and issued an edict which among other dispositions stipulated the introduction of a new silver coinage, struck in the name of the
Qianlong Emperor
The Qianlong Emperor (25 September 17117 February 1799), also known by his temple name Emperor Gaozong of Qing, born Hongli, was the fifth Emperor of the Qing dynasty and the fourth Qing emperor to rule over China proper, reigning from 1735 t ...
. In the same time it was from now on forbidden to import silver coins from Nepal.Bertsch, Wolfgang (Spring 2008) ''The Kong-par Tangka of Tibet'', Journal of the Oriental Numismatic Society, No. 195, Croydon & Ringwood, pp. 35–46.
In order to solve temporarily the shortage of coins in Tibet when the Chinese army arrived in 1791, the Chinese had allowed the striking of the so-called "Kong-par tangkas" which were produced from alloyed silver and had a design copied from Nepalese
prototype
A prototype is an early sample, model, or release of a product built to test a concept or process. It is a term used in a variety of contexts, including semantics, design, electronics, and Software prototyping, software programming. A prototyp ...
s. These tangkas which first were produced in the
Kongpo
Kongpo () is a region of central-eastern Tibet, centered in modern Gongbo'gyamda County, Nyingchi Prefecture. It is situated on the Nyang River, a northern tributary of the Yarlung Tsangpo River.
Kongpo Drula Gonpa is the oldest and largest monast ...
province and later in
Lhasa
Lhasa (; Lhasa dialect: ; bo, text=ལྷ་ས, translation=Place of Gods) is the urban center of the prefecture-level city, prefecture-level Lhasa (prefecture-level city), Lhasa City and the administrative capital of Tibet Autonomous Regio ...
, were the first mass-produced silver coins of Tibet and had about the same weight as their Nepalese counterparts, i.e. about 5.2 grams.
From 1793 new coins made from almost pure silver were struck in
Lhasa
Lhasa (; Lhasa dialect: ; bo, text=ལྷ་ས, translation=Place of Gods) is the urban center of the prefecture-level city, prefecture-level Lhasa (prefecture-level city), Lhasa City and the administrative capital of Tibet Autonomous Regio ...
. These had both Tibetan and Chinese inscriptions. Meanwhile, the striking of the Kong-par tangkas continued through the year 1792 and in early 1793. Both types of coins were authorised by the Chinese, and struck under joint Chinese and Tibetan supervision, but they were not part of the Chinese
currency
A currency, "in circulation", from la, currens, -entis, literally meaning "running" or "traversing" is a standardization of money in any form, in use or circulation as a medium of exchange, for example banknotes and coins.
A more general def ...
system, as silver coinage was unknown in China during the 18th and early 19th century (with the exception of the area which is now
Xinjiang
Xinjiang, SASM/GNC: ''Xinjang''; zh, c=, p=Xīnjiāng; formerly romanized as Sinkiang (, ), officially the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region (XUAR), is an autonomous region of the People's Republic of China (PRC), located in the northwest ...
autonomous region).
In 1791 it was originally planned by the Chinese authorities to cast copper
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 ...
in Tibet. Had this plan been carried out, the Tibetan coinage could have become part of the Chinese currency system. But this plan was abandoned because it was found to be too expensive to transport copper from China to Tibet in order to cast cash coinage in Lhasa.
Between 1791 and 1836 the Tibetan currency was largely decided on by the Chinese government in consultation with Tibetan authorities, and silver coins were struck to the sho (zho) standard (i.e. about 3.7 grams) in the 58th, 59th and 60th year of
Qianlong
The Qianlong Emperor (25 September 17117 February 1799), also known by his temple name Emperor Gaozong of Qing, born Hongli, was the fifth Emperor of the Qing dynasty and the fourth Qing emperor to rule over China proper, reigning from 1735 t ...
(1793, 1794 and 1795).Rhodes Nicholas & Gabrisch, Karl (1980) ''Two Sino-Tibetan Coins'', Spink's Numismatic Circular, Vol. 88, No. 5, pp. 172
A few silver coins were also struck in the 61st year of Qianlong (1796) who had abdicated towards the end of his 60th year in power. By the time the news of his abdication reached Lhasa, some silver coins of the 61st year had already been struck and released for circulation.
19th century
Further Sino-Tibetan silver coins were struck in the first six years of the Jiaqing era (1796–1801), as well as during the 8th and 9th year (1803–04) and during the last two years of this reign, the 24th and 25th year (1819–20). During the
Daoguang era
The Daoguang Emperor (; 16 September 1782 – 26 February 1850), also known by his temple name Emperor Xuanxong of Qing, born Mianning, was the seventh Emperor of the Qing dynasty, and the sixth Qing emperor to rule over China proper, reigning ...
which followed, silver coins were struck only in the first four years of this era (1821–24) and in the 15th and 16th year (1835–36).Gabrisch, Karl (1990-91) ''Beiträge zur Tibetischen Numismatik II: Die Tibetischen Goldmünzen und deren Fälschugen''. Münstersche Numismatische Zeitschrift'', Vol. 20, No. 2,, pp. 1-3 & Vol. 21, No. 2, pp. 1-5.
1840 to 1954, coinage of the Tibetan Government
Thereafter Chinese influence weakened in Tibet, and from 1840 until 1954 the Tibetan Government made decisions about Tibet's coinage system with just one incidental interference by the Chinese; the coins of this period had only Tibetan inscriptions and designs, and made no reference whatsoever to China.
The only incident which interrupted the production of purely Tibetan coins occurred during the short period of 1909 to 1910 when the Tibetan Government struck copper and silver coins dated to the first year of the Xuan Tong era (1909), and in 1910 when the Chinese
Amban
Amban (Manchu language, Manchu and Mongolian language, Mongol: ''Amban'', Standard Tibetan, Tibetan: ་''am ben'', , Uyghur language, Uighur:''am ben'') is a Manchu language term meaning "high official", corresponding to a number of different ...
(representative of the Imperial Chinese Government) in Lhasa had silver and copper coins struck with legends in Chinese and Tibetan. These are the only coins minted in Tibet which can be considered as being part of the Chinese currency system of this period.
The only coin types which were produced in Lhasa between 1840 until 1908 were silver coins struck to the
tangka
The tangka (Tibetan: ''Tam'' or = ''silver tangka'') was a currency of Tibet until 1941. It was subdivided into 15 or and, from 1909, it circulated alongside the '' srang'', worth 10 sho.
Coins
Coins struck to the tangka standard were first ...
standard of the newly created "
Ganden
Ganden Monastery (also Gaden or Gandain) or Ganden Namgyeling or Monastery of Gahlden is one of the "great three" Gelug university monasteries of Tibet. It is in Dagzê County, Lhasa. The other two are Sera Monastery and Drepung Monastery. Gand ...
tangka" ( Nicholas Rhodes: The Gaden Tangka of Tibet. Oriental Numismatic Society, Occasional Paper, no. 17, January 1983) and of the earlier "Kong-par tangka" type.
After the already mentioned interruption of the purely Tibetan coin production towards the end of the
Qing dynasty
The Qing dynasty ( ), officially the Great Qing,, was a Manchu-led imperial dynasty of China and the last orthodox dynasty in Chinese history. It emerged from the Later Jin dynasty founded by the Jianzhou Jurchens, a Tungusic-speak ...
(1909/10), the Tibetan Government started producing a large selection of silver and copper coins in various denominations ranging from 2 ½ skar to 1 srang. Later silver coins of higher denominations were introduced: 1 ½ and 3 srang (1933–1938 and 1946) From 1949 until 1952 coins with the denomination "10 srang" which contained only about 10% of silver, were struck; this is the highest denomination coin which was released for regular circulation in Tibet.
From 1918 until early 1921,
gold coin
A gold coin is a coin that is made mostly or entirely of gold. Most gold coins minted since 1800 are 90–92% gold (22karat), while most of today's gold bullion coins are pure gold, such as the Britannia, Canadian Maple Leaf, and American Buffa ...
s of the denomination "20 srang" were struck in the Serkhang mint which was located near
Norbulingka
Norbulingka ( bo, ནོར་བུ་གླིང་ཀ་; Wylie: ''Nor-bu-gling-ka''; ; literally "Jeweled Park") is a palace and surrounding park in Lhasa, Tibet, built from 1755.Tibet (1986), p.71 It served as the traditional summer resid ...
, the summer residence of the
Dalai Lama
Dalai Lama (, ; ) is a title given by the Tibetan people to the foremost spiritual leader of the Gelug or "Yellow Hat" school of Tibetan Buddhism, the newest and most dominant of the four major schools of Tibetan Buddhism. The 14th and current Dal ...
s. These gold coins did not circulate very much in Tibet and were mainly used for storing wealth, or they were exported to India where a good profit could be obtained.
Silver tangkas of the "Ganden Tangka" design continued to be struck in the 20th century parallel to the various other denominations which were just mentioned. The last Tibetan silver coin of this design was produced in 1953/54; this was a special issue struck in fine silver for distribution to
monk
A monk (, from el, μοναχός, ''monachos'', "single, solitary" via Latin ) is a person who practices religious asceticism by monastic living, either alone or with any number of other monks. A monk may be a person who decides to dedica ...
s in the Lhasa area. These neatly machine-struck coins were valued at five srang.
From 1840 until 1932 Tibet's coins were struck by hand, and later with water-powered or man-powered locally-made machines, in different
mint
MiNT is Now TOS (MiNT) is a free software alternative operating system kernel for the Atari ST system and its successors. It is a multi-tasking alternative to TOS and MagiC. Together with the free system components fVDI device drivers, XaA ...
s located in or near
Lhasa
Lhasa (; Lhasa dialect: ; bo, text=ལྷ་ས, translation=Place of Gods) is the urban center of the prefecture-level city, prefecture-level Lhasa (prefecture-level city), Lhasa City and the administrative capital of Tibet Autonomous Regio ...
.
Circulation of foreign coins and the Sichuan rupee
During the second part of the 19th and the first third of the 20th century numerous foreign silver coins circulated in Tibet. Most of them were traded by weight, such as Mexican and Spanish American silver dollars, Russian
rouble
The ruble (American English) or rouble (Commonwealth English) (; rus, рубль, p=rublʲ) is the currency unit of Belarus and Russia. Historically, it was the currency of the Russian Empire and of the Soviet Union.
, currencies named ''rub ...
s and German
mark
Mark may refer to:
Currency
* Bosnia and Herzegovina convertible mark, the currency of Bosnia and Herzegovina
* East German mark, the currency of the German Democratic Republic
* Estonian mark, the currency of Estonia between 1918 and 1927
* Fi ...
s. The exception were British Indian
rupee
Rupee is the common name for the currencies of
India, Mauritius, Nepal, Pakistan, Seychelles, and Sri Lanka, and of former currencies of Afghanistan, Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, the United Arab Emirates (as the Gulf rupee), British East Africa, B ...
s, particularly the ones with the portrait of
Queen Victoria
Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria; 24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901) was Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until Death and state funeral of Queen Victoria, her death in 1901. Her reign of 63 years and 21 ...
, which widely circulated in Tibet and were mostly preferred to Tibetan coins. These rupees were of good silver and had a fixed value, exchanging for three tangkas until about 1920 and in later years of the 20th century they considerably increased in value.
The Chinese authorities saw the popularity of the Indian rupees among Tibetan traders with misgivings and in 1902 started striking their own rupees which were close copies of the Indian Victoria rupees, the portrait of the Queen being replaced by that of a Chinese mandarin, or, as most numismatists believe, of the
Guangxu Emperor
The Guangxu Emperor (14 August 1871 – 14 November 1908), personal name Zaitian, was the tenth Emperor of the Qing dynasty, and the ninth Qing emperor to rule over China proper. His reign lasted from 1875 to 1908, but in practice he ruled, wi ...
of China. The Chinese rupees were struck in
Chengdu
Chengdu (, ; Simplified Chinese characters, simplified Chinese: 成都; pinyin: ''Chéngdū''; Sichuanese dialects, Sichuanese pronunciation: , Standard Chinese pronunciation: ), Chinese postal romanization, alternatively Romanization of Chi ...
and, starting in the 1930s also in
Kangding
Kangding (), also called Tachienlu and Dartsedo (; ), is a county-level city and the seat of Garzê Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture in Sichuan province of Southwest China. Kangding is on the bank of the Dadu River and has been considered the histor ...
, the former Tibeto-Chinese border town in western Sichuan. The first issues were of good silver and could gain a certain popularity among the Tibetans, but later issues, particularly the ones minted in Kangding, had a considerable amount of
alloy
An alloy is a mixture of chemical elements of which at least one is a metal. Unlike chemical compounds with metallic bases, an alloy will retain all the properties of a metal in the resulting material, such as electrical conductivity, ductility, ...
, and were therefore not accepted by many traders.
In the early minting-period also a small number of half and quarter rupees were struck in Chengdu. Since they often ended up as buttons or as parts of silver jewellery, their production was soon discontinued, and, when small change was needed, the whole rupees were cut in half or were quartered with the help of a sword and a hammer. The total mintage figure of the half rupees was 130,000 and that of the quarter rupees 120,000. It is estimated that between 25,500,000 and 27,500,000 Sichuan rupees were minted between 1902 and 1942.
Tibetan banknotes
Tibetan
banknote
A banknote—also called a bill (North American English), paper money, or simply a note—is a type of negotiable instrument, negotiable promissory note, made by a bank or other licensed authority, payable to the bearer on demand.
Banknotes w ...
s were first issued in January 1913 with the denominations of 5 tam (
green
Green is the color between cyan and yellow on the visible spectrum. It is evoked by light which has a dominant wavelength of roughly 495570 Nanometre, nm. In subtractive color systems, used in painting and color printing, it is created by ...
or
blue
Blue is one of the three primary colours in the RYB colour model (traditional colour theory), as well as in the RGB (additive) colour model. It lies between violet and cyan on the spectrum of visible light. The eye perceives blue when obs ...
red
Red is the color at the long wavelength end of the visible spectrum of light, next to orange and opposite violet. It has a dominant wavelength of approximately 625–740 nanometres. It is a primary color in the RGB color model and a secondar ...
). These were dated to the year 1658 of the Tibetan Era (which began in AD 1912 and ended in early 1913).Bertsch Wolfgang (1997) ''A Study of Tibetan Paper Money'', DharamsalaShrestha, Bhupendra Narayan (1987) ''Tibetan Paper Currency'', Transatlantic Authors Ltd., St. Albans, Herts. U.K
Further issues followed later in AD 1913. All these notes are dated to the Tibetan Era year 1659, which began in February AD 1913. They are as follows: a 10 tam note (red), a 15 tam note (
violet
Violet may refer to:
Common meanings
* Violet (color), a spectral color with wavelengths shorter than blue
* One of a list of plants known as violet, particularly:
** ''Viola'' (plant), a genus of flowering plants
Places United States
* Viol ...
), a 25 tam note (
brown
Brown is a color. It can be considered a composite color, but it is mainly a darker shade of orange. In the CMYK color model used in printing or painting, brown is usually made by combining the colors orange and black. In the RGB color model used ...
or
yellow
Yellow is the color between green and orange on the spectrum of light. It is evoked by light with a dominant wavelength of roughly 575585 nm. It is a primary color in subtractive color systems, used in painting or color printing. In the R ...
), and a 50 tam note (blue or
purple
Purple is any of a variety of colors with hue between red and blue. In the RGB color model used in computer and television screens, purples are produced by mixing red and blue light. In the RYB color model historically used by painters, pu ...
). Like the two earlier issues, they bear a red
seal
Seal may refer to any of the following:
Common uses
* Pinniped, a diverse group of semi-aquatic marine mammals, many of which are commonly called seals, particularly:
** Earless seal, or "true seal"
** Fur seal
* Seal (emblem), a device to impr ...
representing the authority of the
Dalai Lama
Dalai Lama (, ; ) is a title given by the Tibetan people to the foremost spiritual leader of the Gelug or "Yellow Hat" school of Tibetan Buddhism, the newest and most dominant of the four major schools of Tibetan Buddhism. The 14th and current Dal ...
and a
black
Black is a color which results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without hue, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness. Black and white have o ...
seal which has the following inscription in 'phags pa ( also called "seal script")
Tibetan script
The Tibetan script is a segmental writing system (''abugida'') of Brahmic scripts, Indic origin used to write certain Tibetic languages, including Lhasa Tibetan, Tibetan, Dzongkha, Sikkimese language, Sikkimese, Ladakhi language, Ladakhi, Jire ...
: ''gzhung dngul khang,'' and can be translated as "government treasury" or "government bank".
The five tam notes continued to be printed, but the
date
Date or dates may refer to:
*Date (fruit), the fruit of the date palm (''Phoenix dactylifera'')
Social activity
*Dating, a form of courtship involving social activity, with the aim of assessing a potential partner
** Group dating
*Play date, a ...
on this notes was not changed, i.e. it remained T.E. (Tibetan Era) 1658. The early Tibetan notes were woodblock printed on locally produced paper and were hand-numbered with black ink by specially trained Tibetan calligraphists. In the 1930s they were withdrawn from circulation. They bear the following inscription on the obverse:
:"Gangs ljongs bod rgyal khab chen po´i lugs zung chab
:"Srid dbu brnyes kyi lo chig stong drug brgya bcu nga brgyad
:"Phun tshogs sde bzhi´i dpal mnga´ phan bde´i spyi nor
:"Chos srid gnyis ldan gyi rab byung bco lnga pa´i a ´ishog dngul."
:The following translation has been suggested for this legend:
:''1658 years from the founding of the
religious
Religion is usually defined as a social system, social-cultural system of designated religious behaviour, behaviors and practices, morality, morals, beliefs, worldviews, religious text, texts, sacred site, sanctified places, prophecy, prophecie ...
-
secular
Secularity, also the secular or secularness (from Latin ''saeculum'', "worldly" or "of a generation"), is the state of being unrelated or neutral in regards to religion. Anything that does not have an explicit reference to religion, either negativ ...
form of government in the great country of Tibet, the land of snows, paper money (shog dngul) of the 15th cycle (rab byung bco lnga) of the government of religion and politics (chos srid gnyis ldan), the universal jewel (spyi nor) of benefit and bless, endowed with the four types of auspiciousness.''
The highest denomination note (50 tam) was often
forged
Forging is a manufacturing process involving the shaping of metal using localized compressive forces. The blows are delivered with a hammer (often a power hammer) or a die. Forging is often classified according to the temperature at which it ...
, and the Tibetan government decided to introduce a new multicoloured version printed in a more sophisticated manner. The
legend
A legend is a Folklore genre, genre of folklore that consists of a narrative featuring human actions, believed or perceived, both by teller and listeners, to have taken place in human history. Narratives in this genre may demonstrate human valu ...
s on the obverse were printed from woodblocks, while the remaining design on both sides was machine-printed using several different metal blocks. The first notes of this new issue were dated T.E. 1672 (= AD 1926). New notes of this denomination were produced every year until T.E. 1687 (= AD 1941).
In 1937 or '38 new multicolored notes with the high denomination 100 tam srang were introduced. They bear the same octagonal red seal as the early "tam" denominated notes and a black seal of a new type which bears the following inscription: ''Srid zhi dpal ´bar''.
This legend refers to the Tibetan government mint. The following translations have been suggested: "Two famous Governments"; "The Glory of both (lay and religious) Governments´ houses" "May every form of being augment the good" and "Government, peace and progress." A freer translation would read: "A peaceful government (generates) prosperity".
The denomination of these notes was soon changed from "tam srang" to "srang" and they were given a smaller circular red seal. The 100 srang notes are machine-printed and hand-numbered; they were regularly issued between 1939 and 1945 and again between 1951 and 1959 but bear no date. Numerous notes of this denomination have survived and they are relatively common on the
numismatic
Numismatics is the study or collection of currency, including coins, tokens, paper money, medals and related objects.
Specialists, known as numismatists, are often characterized as students or collectors of coins, but the discipline also includ ...
market.
Further machine-printed "srang" denominated notes followed. In 1940 saw the issue of "10 srang" notes bearing the date T.E. 1686. These were machine-printed in three colors (red, blue and black) and carried different T.E. dates until T.E. 1694 (= AD 1948). An undated "5 srang" note of small size was issued between 1942 and 1946. Finally, an undated "25 srang" note was introduced in 1950 and was issued until 1955.
All the Tibetan srang-denominated banknotes were machine-printed on locally made paper at the government mint of Trabshi Lekhung using inks imported from India. All denominations are hand-numbered.
In 1959 these issues were withdrawn from circulation and replaced by Chinese banknotes denominated in Renminbi Yuan.
Tibetan mints
Among the most important
mint
MiNT is Now TOS (MiNT) is a free software alternative operating system kernel for the Atari ST system and its successors. It is a multi-tasking alternative to TOS and MagiC. Together with the free system components fVDI device drivers, XaA ...
s in the early 20th century were one known by the name 'dod dpal (las khung) located in
Shol
Zhol Village, or Shol Village (; often transcribed as Zhöl or Shöl Village), is a village at the base of the Potala Palace in Lhasa, Tibet. It contained the residences and administrative buildings of Ganden Phodrang's government officials and oth ...
, below the
Potala Palace
The Potala Palace is a ''dzong'' fortress in Lhasa, Tibet. It was the winter palace of the Dalai Lamas from 1649 to 1959, has been a museum since then, and a World Heritage Site since 1994.
The palace is named after Mount Potalaka, the mythica ...
, and one located about 10 kilometers north/northeast of Lhasa in the Dode valley (''dog bde'' or ''dog sde'' valley)Rhodes, Nicholas G. (August 1978) ''Tibetan Mints''. Oriental Numismatic Society, Information Sheet no. 19
Another important mint was located in Trabshi (4 kilometers north of Lhasa on the way to Sera monastery). This mint was modernized in the early 1930s, all the machinery of the other mints was subsequently transferred to this establishment, which was operated as the only Tibetan Government mint from 1932 onwards It had the official name Trabshi Lotrü Lekhung (''grwa bzhi glog ´khrul las khung'', the "Trabshi electric machine factory"). Nowadays the huge compound of the former mint is occupied by one of Lhasa's several prisons, known as " Trabshi Prison".
Furthermore, a mint named ''gser khang'' ("gold house"), located west of the Norbu Lingka, was in operation in the 1920s for the striking of gold and copper coins. A mint referred to as Mekyi (Tibetan ''me kyid''; short for ''me tog skyid po'' meaning "enjoyable flowers") was located in the residence of the Chinese
Amban
Amban (Manchu language, Manchu and Mongolian language, Mongol: ''Amban'', Standard Tibetan, Tibetan: ་''am ben'', , Uyghur language, Uighur:''am ben'') is a Manchu language term meaning "high official", corresponding to a number of different ...
and was perhaps used by the Chinese in 1910 to strike Sino-Tibetan coins. It was taken over by the Tibetan government after the forced departure of the last Amban in 1913, and coins were minted there between 1914 and the early 1930s. An establishment located south of the Kyichu (river) near Lhasa, known as Tip Arsenal, is occasionally mentioned as mint", but there is no evidence that coins were struck there. A small factory destined for the production of copper blanks existed in the Chumbi valley about halfway between Yatung and the Tibeto-Sikkimese border; its name was Norbu Tsoki (Tibetan: ''nor bu mthso dkyil'') and it was operational between 1923 and 1928.
The coins of the 18th and 19th century were struck by hand and those of the early 20th century by locally built, water- or man-powered machines. From the 1920s coins were struck by machines imported from
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...
and from
British India
The provinces of India, earlier presidencies of British India and still earlier, presidency towns, were the administrative divisions of British governance on the Indian subcontinent. Collectively, they have been called British India. In one ...
, first on an experimental basis in 1928 and 1929, and then on a large scale from 1932 to 1938, and again from 1946 to 1954. The
electric power
Electric power is the rate at which electrical energy is transferred by an electric circuit. The SI unit of power is the watt, one joule per second. Standard prefixes apply to watts as with other SI units: thousands, millions and billions o ...
for these machines was supplied by a
hydroelectric
Hydroelectricity, or hydroelectric power, is electricity generated from hydropower (water power). Hydropower supplies one sixth of the world's electricity, almost 4500 TWh in 2020, which is more than all other renewable sources combined and ...
power plant
A power station, also referred to as a power plant and sometimes generating station or generating plant, is an industrial facility for the generation of electric power. Power stations are generally connected to an electrical grid.
Many pow ...
in the Dode valley which was set up between 1927 and 1928 with equipment which had been imported from
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...
in 1924.
1955 to 1959
After the
Battle of Chamdo
The Battle of Chamdo (or Qamdo; ) occurred from 6 to 24 October 1950. It was a military campaign by the People's Republic of China (PRC) to take the Chamdo Region from a ''de facto'' independent Tibetan state.Shakya 1999 pp.28–32. The campai ...
in 1950-51 the renewed interference of the Chinese resulted in a situation where no more coins were struck from 1955 and 1959. However, paper notes of 100 srang were still printed.
In the early 1950s the Chinese restruck dollars with the portrait of Yuan Shikai in the Chengdu mint. These were introduced into Tibet to pay Tibetan workers involved in road building and to buy the goodwill of influential Tibetans. Many Yuan Shikai dollars were smuggled to India by Tibetan traders who bought western goods in Calcutta which they sold at considerable profits to Chinese Army members in Lhasa.Shakya, Tsering: The Dragon in the Land of Snows. A History of Modern Tibet since 1947. Pimlico, London 1999, p. 135.
After 1959
During the great exodus of Tibetans, by the middle of 1959, also the circulation of bank notes stopped, when the PRC introduced the mimang shogngul (= "people's paper money") currency into Tibet, eventually replacing the traditional Tibetan money.
Since 1959, mimang shogngul sgor () is used. One sgor is divided into 10 sgor-zur () or 100 skar ().
One sgor is called ''gor gcig'' () while one skar is called ''skargang'' ().
Dates on Tibetan coins
Except for the
Sino-Tibetan
Sino-Tibetan, also cited as Trans-Himalayan in a few sources, is a family of more than 400 languages, second only to Indo-European in number of native speakers. The vast majority of these are the 1.3 billion native speakers of Chinese languages. ...
coins, the early undated tangkas of the 18th century, and the undated Ganden tangka issues, all Tibetan coins are inscribed with the cycle and the year in which they were struck. Each cycle comprises 60 years. The first year of the first cycle corresponds to the western year AD 1027.
According to Tibetan tradition, the
Kalachakra
''Kālacakra'' () is a polysemic term in Vajrayana Buddhism that means "wheel of time" or "time cycles". "''Kālacakra''" is also the name of a series of Buddhist texts and a major practice lineage in Indian Buddhism and Tibetan Buddhism. The ta ...
(dus kyi ‘khor lo) was introduced into Tibet from India in the year 1026. Therefore the
dates
Date or dates may refer to:
*Date (fruit), the fruit of the date palm (''Phoenix dactylifera'')
Social activity
*Dating, a form of courtship involving social activity, with the aim of assessing a potential partner
**Group dating
* Play date, a ...
found on Tibetan coins record the number of years which have elapsed since this historical event. In order to convert a cycle date of a Tibetan coin into a western date one can use the following formula: ''(Number of cycles minus 1) times 60, plus number of years, plus 1026.''
Example: rab byung 15 lo 43 means that 14 complete cycles plus 43 years of the 15th cycle have elapsed since the year 1026. This date can be converted as follows:
(15 – 1) × 60 + 43 + 1026 = AD 1909.
It is necessary to know that the Tibetan year usually starts some time in what is the month of February according to the calendar of the Western World. Therefore the coin of the above example cannot have been struck as early as January 1909, but may have been struck as late as January or early February 1910.
Tibetan currency units
Tibet had a dual and therefore complicated system of currency units. One was imported from Nepal and its basic unit was the "tangka" (also called "trangka" "tam" or "tamga"; equivalent to about 5.4 to 5.6 grams of
alloy
An alloy is a mixture of chemical elements of which at least one is a metal. Unlike chemical compounds with metallic bases, an alloy will retain all the properties of a metal in the resulting material, such as electrical conductivity, ductility, ...
ed silver). The other was imported from China and its basic unit was the "srang" (Chinese liang, equivalent to 37.3 grams of silver). These two systems were used in Tibet concurrently from about 1640 until 1959.
The small units of ½
sho
Sho, Shō or SHO may refer to:
Music
* ''Shō'' (instrument) (笙), a Japanese wind instrument
* ''Kane'' (instrument) (鉦), a Japanese percussion instrument
* Sho?, a Dubai rock band
People
* Shō (given name), including ''Sho''
* Shō (su ...
and ½ tangka were only struck for circulation in small numbers in 1793. There also exist some ½ sho coins dated
Qianlong
The Qianlong Emperor (25 September 17117 February 1799), also known by his temple name Emperor Gaozong of Qing, born Hongli, was the fifth Emperor of the Qing dynasty and the fourth Qing emperor to rule over China proper, reigning from 1735 t ...
59. These however are extremely rare, and most of them probably have to be considered as patterns or prototypes.
In the 20th century, the following units were struck:
File:Tibetan 3 sho 16-20.jpg, 3 Sho copper coin dated 16-20 (= AD 1946), obverse
File:Tibetan 3 sho 16-20 rev.jpg, 3 Sho copper coin dated 16-20 (= AD 1946), reverse
File:10 srang 16-24.jpg, 10 Srang billon coin, dated 16-24 ( = AD 1950), obverse.
File:10 srang 16-24 rev.jpg, 10 Srang billon coin, dated 16-24 ( = AD 1950), reverse
File:Tibetan 20 Srang gold coin dated 15-52 (= AD 1918), obverse.jpg, Tibetan 20 Srang gold coin dated 15-52 (= AD 1918), obverse
File:Tibetan 20 Srang gold coin dated 15-52 (= AD 1918), reverse.jpg, Tibetan 20 Srang gold coin dated 15-52 (= AD 1918), reverse
File:Tibetan Half skar copper coin Xuan Tong era (AD 1910), obverse.jpg, Half skar copper coin of the Xuan Tong era (AD 1910), obverse
A selection of Tibetan coins
Image: Sino-Tibetan half sho pattern coin, dated year 57 of Qianlong era (AD 1792), obverse.jpg, Sino-Tibetan half sho coin, dated year 57 of Qianlong era, obverse. This is a pattern coin which was not approved by the Imperial authorities of China, since it has inscriptions in Tibetan on both sides. In the following year 58 (AD 1793) the regular issue of Sino-Tibetan coins was started with coins which had a Chinese legend on obverse and a Tibetan legend on reverse.
Image: Sino-Tibetan half sho pattern coin, dated year 57 of Qianlong era (AD 1792), reverse.jpg, Sino-Tibetan half sho coin, dated year 57 of Qianlong era. Reverse. The inscription is ''bod kyi rin po che'' ("Tibetan precious
oin
Oin, Óin or OIN may refer to:
Folklore and fiction
* Óin, son of Gróin, a Dwarf from J. R. R. Tolkien's writings, companion of Thorin Oakenshield
* Oin-Oin, a character of Swiss folklore
Other
* Open Invention Network, a company specialising i ...
)
Image: Sino-Tibetan half sho, dated year 58 of Qianlong era (AD 1793), obverse.jpg, Sino-Tibetan half sho coin, dated year 58 of Qianlong era. Obverse. The Chinese inscription is ''qianlong bao tsang'' ("Tibet money of Qianlong")
Image: Sino-Tibetan half sho, dated year 58 of Qianlong era (AD 1793), reverse.jpg, Sino-Tibetan half sho coin, dated year 58 of Qianlong era. Reverse
Image: Sino-Tibetan half tangka coin, dated year 58 of Qianlong era obverse.jpg, Sino-Tibetan half tangka coin, dated year 58 of Qianlong era. Obverse
File:Sino-Tibetan half tangka coin, dated year 58 of Qianlong era reverse.jpg, Sino-Tibetan half tangka coin, dated year 58 of Qianlong era. Reverse
Image: 7 and half skar 15-43.jpg, 7 and half skar copper coin, dated 15-43 ( = AD 1909), obverse.
Image: 7 and half skar 15-43 rev.jpg, 7 and half skar copper coin, dated 15-43 ( = AD 1909), reverse.
Image: Tibetan 5 sho 15-52.jpg, 5 sho silver coin, dated 15-52 ( = AD 1918), obverse.
Image: Tibetan 5 sho 15-52 rev.jpg, 5 sho silver coin, dated 15-52 ( = AD 1918), reverse.
Image: Tibetan 5 sho 15-56.jpg, 5 sho silver coin, dated 15-56 ( = AD 1924), obverse.
Image: Tibetan 5 sho 15-56 rev.jpg, 5 sho silver coin, dated 15-56 ( = AD 1924), reverse.
Image: Tibetan 3 srang 16-8.jpg, 3 Srang silver coin, dated 16-8 ( = AD 1934), obverse.
Image: Tibetan 3 srang 16-8 rev.jpg, 3 Srang silver coin, dated 16-8 ( = AD 1934), reverse.
See also
*
Nepalese mohar
The mohar was the currency of the Kingdom of Nepal from the second half of the 17th century until 1932. Silver and gold mohars were issued, each subdivided into 128 ''dams''. Copper dams were also issued, together with copper ''paisa'' worth 4 c ...
*
Tibetan skar
The Tibetan skar was a weight unit representing a 100th part of one srang or the 10th part of one sho (i.e. about 0.37 g). The term was also used to refer to monetary units in the first half of the 20th century when copper coins were issued by T ...
*
Tibetan srang
The srang (pronounced "sang"; in Tibetan often referred to as "dngul srang" i.e. "silver srang") was a currency of Tibet between 1909 and 1959. It circulated alongside the ''tangka'' until the 1950s. It was divided into 10 ''sho'', each of 10 ''sk ...
*
Tibetan tangka
The tangka (Tibetan: ''Tam'' or = ''silver tangka'') was a currency of Tibet until 1941. It was subdivided into 15 or and, from 1909, it circulated alongside the '' srang'', worth 10 sho.
Coins
Coins struck to the tangka standard were first ...
References
Other sources
* Bertsch, Wolfgang (2002) ''The Currency of Tibet. A Sourcebook for the Study of Tibetan Coins, Paper Money and other Forms of Currency'', Library of Tibetan Works & Archives, Dharamsala
* Reviewed Work: The Currency of Tibet, A Sourcebook for the Study of Tibetan Coins, Paper Money and other Forms of Currency by Wolfgang Bertsch. Review by: Nicholas Rhode * Bertsch, Wolfgang & Gabrisch, Karl (March–May, 1991) ''10 tam coins from Tibet''. Oriental Numismatic Society Newsletter, No. 128
* Bertsch; Wolfgang (November 1996 ''A Survey of Tibetan Paper Currency'' Bulletin of Tibetology, New Series, no. 3, Gangtok, 2nd pp. 3–22.
* Cao Gang: ''Zhong guo xi zang di feng huo bi'' (Chinese Tibet's Regional Currency), Sichuan Minzi Chubanshe, Chengdu, 1999.
* Chen Yishi: ''Lu bi qin yin kang zang ji qi ying xiang'' (The penetration of the British Indian rupee into Tibet and Xikang and its consequences). Zhongguo Qianbi (China Numismatics), no. 28 (Issue 1 for 1990), Beijing, 1990, pp. 43–50.
* Davies, Major H.R.: Yünnan. ''The Link between India and the Yangtse''. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, 1909.
* Dong Wenchao: ''An Overview of China’s Gold & Silver Coins of Past Ages – the Gold and Silver Coins and Medals of Modern China''. Beijing 1992.
* Duhalde, Père Jean Babtiste de la Compagnie de Jésus (1735) ''Description Géographique, Historique, Chronologique, Politique, et Physique de l’Empire de la Chine et de la Tartarie Chinoise. Enrichie de Cartes Générales & Particulières de ces Pays, de la Carte Génerale et des Cartes Particulières du Thibet, & de la Corée, & ornée d´un grand nombre de Figures de Vignettes gravées en Taille-douce'', In Paris at P.G. Lemercier, Imprimeur-Libraire, rue Saint Jacques, au Livre d´Or, 1735 (4 Volumes).
* Gabrisch, Karl: Beiträge zur tibetischen Numismatik I: ''Die Sichuan Rupien und ihre Varianten''. Münstersche Numismatische Zeitschrift, vol. 12, no. 4, 1982, pp. 44–47.
* Mangeot, Sylvain: ''The Adventures of a Manchurian: The Story of Lobsang Thondup''. Collins, London, 1974.
* Morse, Hosea Ballou: ''The Trade and Administration of the Chinese Empire''. Longmans, Green & Co., New York, Bombay, Calcutta, 1908.
* Mynak A. Tulku: ''The Eight Auspicious Objects''. Bulletin of Tibetology, vol. 5, no. 1, Gangtok, 29 February 1968, pp. 42–43.
* Narbeth, Colin & Snorrason, Gylfi: Tibetan Paper Money. Published by Geoffrey Flack, Vancouver, 2001.
* Numismatic Research Department of the Institute of Finance of the Tibet Branch of the People's Bank of China: ''Xi zang di fang zhen fu de zhao bi chang'' (The Mint of the Local Tibetan Government). Zhong guo qian bi (China Numismatics), no. 22, issue 1, Beijing, 1990, pp. 29–42.
* O'Connor, Sir Frederick Lieut.-Colonel: ''Things Mortal''. Hodder & Stoughton Limited, London, 1940.
* Rhodes, Nicholas G.: ''A Communist Chinese Restrike''. Spink's Numismatic Circular, vol. 83, London, 1975, pp. 239–240.
* Rhodes, Nicholas: ''The Gaden Tangka of Tibet''. Oriental Numismatic Society, Occasional Paper, no. 17, January 1983. https://web.archive.org/web/20120425083140/http://gorila.netlab.cz/coins/Tibet/ONS_TangkaTibet.pdf
* Wang Haiyan: ''Xi zang di fang huo bi'' (''The Regional Money of Tibet'' or ''The Money of the Tibet Region''). Zang xue wen ku (Tibetology Series). Qing hai ren min chu ban she (Qinghai People's Publishing House), Xining, 2007.
* Wang Haiyan: ''Xi zang di fang zhen fu di liang ci zhao qi zhu bi'' (''The two earliest coins struck by the local Tibetan government'') Zhongguo Qianbi (China Numismatics), Beijing, 1.1991, pp. 27–28.
* Yin Zhengmin: ''Zhong guo xi zang qian bi tu lu'' (''Illustrated Catalogue of the Money of China's Tibet''), Xizang Renmin Chubanshe (Tibet People's Publishing House), Lhasa 2004, .
* Zhu Jinzhong, Ci-Ren-Ping-cuo & Yan Lunzhang: ''Yuan xi zang di fang qian bi gai kuang'' (''Introduction to the Tibetan Regional Currency''), Institute of Finance of the People's Bank of China in Tibet, Lhasa, 1988.
* Zhu Jinzhong & Pu-qiong Ci-ren uchung Tsering ''Qian long wu shi nian zao xi zang ga yin bi kao'' (''Examining the Tibetan Silver Tamga, Struck in the 50th year of Qian Long''). Zhong guo zang xue (China Tibetology), issue 3, Beijing 1990, pp. 90–92.
* Zhu Jinzhong (chief editor), Wang Haiyan, Wang Jiafeng, Zhang Wuyi, Wu Hanlin, Wang Dui bang'dus& Tsering Pincuo: ''Zhong guo xi zang qian bi'' 'The Money of Chinese Tibet''Xi zang zi zhi ou qian bi xue hui ibet Autonomous Region Numismatic Society Zhong hua shu ju, Beijing 2002, / Z. 449.
In Tibetan:
* Ngag-dbang chos-´byor: ''rDe´u´i rtsis-rig la mkho-re´i byis-pa mgu-ba´i long-gtam''. Alter tibetischer Blockdruck einer Abhandlung, verfasst von einem Beamten des Schatzamtes des Klosters Trashi Lhünpo (Ancient block printed treatise authored by an official of the treasury of Trashi Lhünpo monastery).
Tibet
Tibet (; ''Böd''; ) is a region in East Asia, covering much of the Tibetan Plateau and spanning about . It is the traditional homeland of the Tibetan people. Also resident on the plateau are some other ethnic groups such as Monpa people, ...