Gold Pieces #1
G/1
An imitation of a Byzantine Empire gold coin cast in the reign of Heraclius (610-641 A.D.)
Note:
Collection of the webmaster
G/2
Weight: 38 grams/ 1 tael
Date: N/A
Inscriptions: 鐵線巷/陳二郎．十分金/鐵線巷
Iron Thread Alley (at the Capital City-Ling An of the Southern Sung Dynasty)
Chen Er Lang (Smith)
Pure Gold
Note:
Collection of the webmaster
Assumed to be part from the recent Nanjing excavation
G/3
Weight: 39 grams/ 1 tael
Date: N/A
Inscriptions: 鐵線巷/陳二郎．十分金
Iron Thread Alley (at the Capital City-Ling An of the Southern Sung Dynasty)
Chen Er Lang (Smith)
Pure Gold
Note:
Seen in trade
Assumed to be part from the recent Nanjing excavation
G/4
Weight: 31 grams/ 0.989 tael
Date: 1945 A.D.
Inscriptions: 中央造幣廠．昆明分廠鑄．民國卅四年
KM8942．成色997.3．重量0.989兩
The 34th Year of the Republic of China
Made by the Kunmin Branch, the Central Mint
No.KM8942, Gold Fineness: 997.3/1000, Weight:0.989 Tael
Note:
Collection of the webmaster
G/5
Weight: 30.8 grams
Date: N/A
Inscriptions:
(Obverse): Symbol of Spade Money (Logo of the Central Mint).
(Reverse): BK0299, 成色(Fineness):
995.7, 市兩
(Market Tael):
0.968.
The outbreak of the civil war between the Nationalist and Communist parties
in 1947 caused a serious debasement to the legal tender. Paper notes of all
kinds issued by the government lost their creditability, hence gold and silver
coins were used as trade media. In December, 1948, the Nationalist government,
under tremendous pressure from the general public, started offering gold
ingots and silver coins for public purchase under various strict conditions.
Only a small group of privileged people were able to meet the terms set
forward, and many riots were therefore stirred up and the government was
forced to cease the sales of gold and silver within a month of the initial
offering.
This piece is one of the gold ingots cast during the civil war period; it
dates from 1948-1949. Some of the gold ingots of this kind were used by the
Nationalist government as rations to its army during the late 1940s and early
1950s.
G/6.
Weight: 4.2 grams
Dimension: 76x94 mm
Date: N/A
Inscriptions: (In Chinese)李家/雲南下關瑞豐祥記 (The Lee's Family. Zuei Feng Xiang Firm, Xiakuan, Yunnan.)
(In English) Yunnan Siakuan Shufun-Chiang Shop Gold Leaf
Notes:
Collection of the webmaster
Weight: 31.25 grams
Date: N/A
Inscriptions:
成色99 (Fineness 99 (%))
滇 (Dian, abbreviation of "Yunnan")
老福源(Lao Fu Yuan-Name of the goldmith)
市秤壹兩(One Tael in the Market
Scale)
Notes:
This gold piece in biscuit shape was called "金豆"(Gold
Bean) by the Yunnan natives. According to "雲南歷史貨幣"(Yunnan
Historical Currencies), it was cast by a major goldsmith 老福源(Lao
Fu Yuan) in Kunmin in 1948 during the civil war between the Nationalists and
Communists.
Collection of the webmaster
G/8
Weight: 31.2 grams
Date: N/A
Inscriptions:
十足色 (Sufficiently pure fineness)
天津泰源 (Tienjin, Tai Yuan-Name of the gold shop)
Notes:
Cast during the early Republican period- 1912-1933.
十足色 (Sufficiently pure fineness) was meaning meeting the gold fineness standard of 99%.
Collection of the webmaster.
G/9
Weight: 37.4 g
Date: 1950
Inscriptions:
登錄商標 (Registered Trademark)
寅 (Yin, a Chinese character, part of the trademark design, also an abbreviation of the celestial year 辛寅, i.e., 1950)
金瑞山 (Jin Zuei Shan, name of the gold shop)
足赤 (足 means "Sufficient", 赤 means "Red". The Chinese people believed that only gold of the best quality will turn reddish, therefore, 足赤 has been used to stand for then best applicable gold fineness for hundreds of years)
999 (Fineness: 999/1000), 1000 (Tael: 1000/1000)
Notes:
Collection of the webmaster
G/10
Weight: 16.2 g
Date: 1949-1950
Inscriptions:
成色9850 (Fineness: 9850/10000)
市兩0501(Market Tael: 0501/1000)
台銀(The Bank of Taiwan)
金瑞山(Jin Zuei Shan- Name of the gold shop)
驗(Inspected)
Notes:
Collection of the webmaster
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