Hobei 10 Tael
No.
Hb10/1
Weight: 389 grams/10+ taels
Date: N/A
Inscriptions: 十足色/寶興號
Si Ju Se (Sufficiently Pure in Fineness)
Bao Hsin Firm
Notes:
Collection of the webmaster
No.
Hb10/2
Weight: 369 grams/10 taels
Date: N/A
Inscriptions: 公十足/匠寶豐
Gong Si Ju (Publicly Agreed Sufficient Fineness)
Smith Bao Feng
Notes:
Beginning in the 15th
year of Kuang Hsu (1889), Hobei 10-tael boats carried an assaying stamp of 十足色
"Si Ju Ser" ( Sufficiently Pure in Fineness), as in Hb10/1.
During the 2nd year of the Republic (1913), the assaying stamp was changed to 公十足
"Gong Si Ju" or 公議十足
"Gong Yi Si Ju", both meaning
"Publicly Agreed Sufficiently Pure in Fineness" as in Hb10/2. In 1914,
the Beijing government ordered that silver coins replace sycee when settling
taxes and official receivables and payables in 1914. It, however,
failed to control the issuance of banknotes, so Hb10/2 circulated in the
market in very limited quantities and for a very short time. As a result, it is
now much more scarce than Hb10/1
Collection of the webmaster
No.
Hb10/3
Weight: 10 taels
Date: N/A
Inscriptions: 十足色/二益任
Si Ju Se (Sufficiently Pure in Fineness)
Er Yi Zen (Silver shop)
Notes:
Seen in trade
No.
Hb10/4
Weight: 10 taels
Date: N/A
Inscriptions: 公十足/裕興源
Gong Si Ju (Publicly Agreed Sufficient Fineness)
Yu Hsin Yuan (Silver bank)
Notes:
Collection of Lisa and Dan
No.
Hb10/5
Weight: 10 taels
Date: N/A
Inscriptions: 十足色/厚記爐
Si Ju Se (Sufficiently Pure in Fineness)
Hou Firm's Furnace
Notes:
Collection of Hu Chun Chung
No.
Hb10/6
Weight: 10 taels
Date: N/A
Inscriptions: 十足色/義成
Si Ju Se (Sufficiently Pure in Fineness)
Yi Chen (Firm)
Notes:
Seen in trade
No.
Hb10/7
Weight: 378 grams/10 taels
Date: N/A
Inscriptions: 臨關/匠王兆 ?
The Ling (Ching) Customs
Wang Chao ? (The smith)
Notes:
The term "Ling Customs" is an abbreviation of 臨清關 "the Ling Ching Customs" of Shandong province in the Ching Dynasty. Ling Ching County was an economic center which contributed a significant share of the customs' incomes during the late Ming and early Ching Dynasty. From the beginning of the 19th century, due to a prolonged period of economic decline in the region, this inland customs made very few remittances to the Central government. Thus, not many sycee were cast by this customs, and it would be very unusual for us to see an example.
A 50 tael Boat of the Ling Customs is illustrated in the catalogue of Su Yin Tang's collection (No.258), and it is assumed to be a submittal to the Central government by the customs. The specimen shown is the 1st 10 tael piece cast by the customs known to exist. The information provided by its stamps was deliberately simplified, since there is no reference to a casting date and only the name of the customs and the silversmith were given. Apparently, it was cast for the customs by its official silversmith to use as a reserve or as a source of funds to meet the administrative needs of the customs.
Collection of the webmaster
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