Counterstamped Saddle
No.
Cts/1
Weight: 195 grams/5+ taels
Date: 1904-1911 A.D.
Inscriptions: 胡萬鎰號/匯號紋銀
Hu Wan Yi Firm
Remittance Bank Fine Silver
Assaying chops: 官公估佘慶盛看/官公估周寶銓看
Official Public Assayer Ser Ching Shen Looked
Official Public Assayer Jou Bao Chuan Looked
Counterstamp: 庫
Ku
Notes:
庫 "Ku": Treasury; it was counterstamped by the Yunnan Board of Revenue from the 30th year of Kuang Hsu (1904) at the time when Saddle Sycee began to be accepted as a kind of tax silver. Any tax paid by Saddle Sycee would need to have additional 2% paid as remedy to the insufficient silver content of Saddle Sycee whose fineness was only 98%. The Yunnan Board of Revenue counterstamped these remedial Saddle Sycee with "Ku" to differentiate them from others.
Collection of the webmaster
No.
Cts/2
Weight: 185 grams/5 taels
Date: 1904-1911 A.D.
Inscriptions: 陳鴻鈞號/匯號紋銀
Chen Hong Chun Firm
Remittance Bank Fine Silver
Assaying chops: 官公估童佘看/官公估周陳看
Official Public Assayer Tong, Ser Looked
Official Public Assayer Jou, Chen Looked
Counterstamp: 戶
Hu
Notes:
戶 "Hu": Household; it was counterstamped by the Grain Storage Department on the remedial tax silver received beginning the 30th year of Kuang Hsu (1904).
Collection of the webmaster
No.
Cts/3
Weight: 183 grams/5 taels
Date: 1904-1911 A.D.
Inscriptions: 吳萬盛記/匯號紋銀
Wu Wan Shen Firm
Remittance Bank Fine Silver
Assaying chops: 公估童佘周看/公估童佘周看
Public Assayer Tong, Ser, Jou Looked
Counterstamp: 總
Zhong
Notes:
總 "Zhong": General; it was counterstamped by the commissioner of Yunnan Province on the remedial tax silver received begining the 30th year of Kuang Hsu (1904).
Collection of the webmaster
No.
Cts/4
Weight: 158 grams/4+ taels
Date: 1884-1911 A.D.
Inscriptions: 永裕馬記/冬月紋銀
Yong Yu Ma Firm
The 11th Month Fine Silver
Assaying chops: 公估童看訖
Public Assayer Tong Checked
Counterstamp: 局
Jiu
Notes:
局 "Jiu": Bureau, usage unknown. Possibly an official counterstamp
Collection of the webmaster
No.
Cts/5
Weight: 178 grams/5 taels
Date: 1889-1911 A.D.
Inscriptions: 李元盛號/匯號紋銀
Li Yuan Shen Firm
Remittance Bank Fine Silver
Assaying chops: 公估童佘周看/公估童佘周看
Public Assayer Tong, Ser, Jou Looked
Counterstamp: 丁
Ding
Notes:
丁 "Ding": Poll; usage unknown. Possibly an official counterstamp
Collection of the webmaster
No.
Cts/6
Weight: 172 grams/5- taels
Date: 1904-1911 A.D.
Inscriptions: 胡萬鎰號/匯號紋銀
Hu Wan Yi Firm
Remittance Bank Fine Silver
Assaying chops: 官公估佘慶盛看/官公估周寶銓看
Official Public Assayer Jou Bao Chuan Looked
Official Public Assayer Ser Chin Shen Looked
Counterstamp: 元
Yuan
Notes:
元 "Yuan": Initial, begin, dollar; usage unknown.
Collection of the webmaster
No.
Cts/7
Weight: 178 grams/5 taels
Date: 1889-1911 A.D.
Inscriptions: 元盛慶記/匯號紋銀
Yuan Shen Chin Firm
Remittance Bank Fine Silver
Assaying chops: 公估童佘段看/公估童佘段看
Public Assayer Tong, Ser, Duan Looked
Counterstamp: 雲瑞看訖
Yun Rei Checked
Notes:
Counterstamped by an outside Kunmin Assayer Ma Yun Rei
Collection of the webmaster
No.
Cts/8
Weight: 162 grams/5- taels
Date: 1884-1911 A.D.
Inscriptions: 萬泰元記/匯號紋銀
Wan Tai Yuan Frm
Remittance Bank Fine Silver
Assaying chops: 匯號公估童看訖/匯號公估馮看訖
Remittance Bank Public Assayer Tong Checked
Remittance Bank Public Assayer Fong Checked
Counterstamp: 雲瑞看訖
Yun Rei Checked
Notes:
Cts/7, a Public Assayer's Saddle, and Cts/8, a Remmitance Bank Public Assayer's Saddle (Type I-C and Type I-B of Kunmin according to Author's book). In addition to their original assaying chops, the two pieces were both assayed by another assayer Ma Yun Rei of Outside Kunmin and pressed with his assaying chop. This indicates that these two pieces were first cast in Kunmin, but later on circulated in the region Outside Kunmin. These newcomers were assayed again in compliance with the local assaying system which differed from that of Kunmin.
Collection of the webmaster
No.
Cts/9
Weight: 195 grams/5+ taels
Date: 1889-1911 A.D.
Inscriptions: 周寶銓號/匯號紋銀
Jou Bao Chuan Firm
Remittance Bank Fine Silver
Assaying chops: 公估童佘周看/公估童佘周看
Public Assayer Tong, Ser, Jou Looked
Counterstamp: 匯號公估王看訖
Remittance Bank Public Assayer Wang Checked
Notes:
This is a Public Assayer's Saddle of Kunmin (Type I-C, according to Author's book) counterstamped with an assaying chop of the Remittance Bank Public Assayer of the Outside Kunmin. Since the existence of the Remittance Bank Public Assayers predated the Public Assayers, this counterstamped assaying chop has revealed that when Saddle Sycee in Kunmin had migrated to the stage of Public Assayer's (Type I-C), the Outside Kunmin was still circulating Remittance Bank Public Assayer's specimens (Type O-B), and not yet fully transferred to Public Assayer's.
In Kunmin, only two persons had been elected as Remittance Bank Public Assayers, they were Tong (Fu Shen) and Fong (Si You). The Remittance Bank Public Assayer Wang shown on the counterstamped assaying chop obviously was not an assayer of Kunmin.
Collection of the webmaster
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