In the long history of our country, there have been many "best coins".
1. China’s earliest coins
In primitive society, our ancestors initially used barter as a means of exchanging goods. However, with the continuous development of productivity, there are more and more surplus items, and the types of exchanged items continue to increase. Physical exchange becomes inconvenient. From now on, it is necessary to use some kind of natural product as a means of exchanging goods. Because shells themselves have natural units, are light, strong, and easy to carry. At the same time, ancestors in primitive society have already used shells as decorations and are familiar with them. Therefore, using shells as a means of exchanging goods is the most convenient and appropriate method. Therefore, it can be said that shellfish is the earliest currency in our country. At first, natural shells were used, and later artificial bone shells, stone shells, pottery shells and copper shells were produced.
2. China’s earliest gold coins
my country has already used gold in the Shang and Zhou dynasties, but initially gold was only used as decorations or as rewards and gifts. In our country, the Ying Yuan gold version of Chu State during the Warring States Period was the earliest gold used as currency.
This kind of Ying Yuan gold plate is shaped like a piece of dried tofu, with many marks on it, including five or six types such as "Ying Yuan", "Chen Yuan" and "笲爰". It can be used as needed. Temporary chiseling. Because most of the marks on the gold plate are the word "Ying Yuan", it is called "Ying Yuan gold plate" or "Ying Yuan gold cake". These marks were like seals, and later some people called them "yinzijin".
3. China’s earliest silver coin
In the autumn of 1974, farmers in Gucheng Village, Fugou County, Henan Province discovered a three-legged and covered copper tripod while digging a lime pond. There are 18 pieces of silver cloth coins, weighing 3072.9 grams. The silver coins are all in the shape of a shovel, and the 鎎 (qiong sounds like Qiong. The hole on the shovel for pressing the handle) is cylindrical. Except for one unprecedented coin, the others are all solid heads. According to the size of the cloth body, it can be divided into three types: long, medium and short. The largest one is 15.7 cm long, 5.8 cm wide and weighs 188.1 grams; the smallest one is 8.4 cm long, 5.8 cm wide and weighs 134 grams. According to the 3rd issue of "Chinese Coins" in 1983, judging from the shape and production characteristics, these silver cloth coins belong to the mid-Spring and Autumn Period and are the earliest silver coins discovered for the first time in my country.
4. China’s earliest unified currency
During the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, due to the political situation of many princes, the economic development of various places was uneven, and various currencies with different characteristics were produced. Forms form different types of currency circulation areas, which are basically four currency systems with different shapes, namely the shell currency system, the cloth currency system, the knife currency system and the round currency system.
After Qin Shihuang unified China, he abolished the knives, cloth, shells and round coins, reformed our country's currency system, and promulgated laws to this end. "The laws of Qin are the same as the laws of the world, and the coins of Qin are the same as the currencies of the world." It is stipulated that gold is the upper currency and half a tael is the lower currency. Gold is used for large payments or rewards, while half a pound of money is the currency in daily circulation. Qin Banliang is "quality as Zhou Dynasty money, written as Banliang, and as heavy as its text", and is the earliest unified currency in my country.
5. China’s earliest gold square-hole round coin
In August 1980, a five-baht gold coin was unearthed from Beiyuanxia, ??Xianyang City, Shaanxi Province. Its shape is similar to that of the common Western Han Dynasty copper coin. The five bahts are the same, with a round square hole. Both the front and back of the coin have outlines, with a diameter of 2.55 cm. The front is worn with a hengguo. The gold coin weighs 9 grams. The fineness of the gold after testing is 95%. According to the appraisal of coin experts, this five-baht gold coin of the Western Han Dynasty was minted between the fifth year of Emperor Wu Yuanshou and the fourth year of Emperor Xuan Shenjue. It has a history of more than 2,000 years and is the earliest one currently seen in our country. Gold square hole round coin.
6. China’s earliest silver square-hole round coins
In 1955, two silver five-baht coins were unearthed from the Six Dynasties Tomb No. 5 of Huangjiaying outside Guanghuamen, Nanjing. Their shape was the Eastern Han Dynasty five-baht coin. It may also be an imitation from the Six Dynasties. It should be the earliest silver square-hole round coin discovered in my country so far. It may be a burial coin.
7. The earliest iron coin in China
Historical coins records that the earliest iron coin in my country was the iron five-baht cast by Gongsun Shu when he proclaimed himself emperor in Chengdu, Sichuan at the end of the Western Han Dynasty. It is now here Said to have been denied. After liberation, a large number of iron half-liang coins were unearthed from ancient tombs of the Western Han Dynasty in Changsha, Hengyang, Hunan, and Xi'an, Shaanxi. Only 32 coins were unearthed from the Western Han Dynasty tombs in Changsha alone, with the word "banliang" written in seal script. , square hole without Guo or with Guo, its shape and weight are very similar to Emperor Wen's four and a half baht. Therefore, it can be said that this kind of iron half liang from the early Western Han Dynasty is the earliest iron money in our country.
8. The earliest lead coins in China
Various lead coins have been unearthed from tombs or cellars in various parts of my country, such as lead Ying Yuan coins, lead round coins, and lead Daquan Wu coins. 10. Five baht of lead, etc. However, these lead coins are either ghost coins or counterfeit coins privately minted by the private sector, not real official currency. Our country's official-made and circulating lead coins should be the lead Kaiyuan Tongbao Xiaoping coins cast by King Shenzhi of Min during the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period in the second year of Zhenming in Houliang (916). They have a bare back, the word "Fu" on the back and the word "Min" on the back. Three kinds of words.
9. China’s earliest coins using gold-wrapped technology
Wang Mang carried out the first reform of the currency system in the second year of Jushe (7 AD). In addition to the original five baht, In addition to the continued use of money, three new currencies were issued, namely Daquan fifty, Qidao five hundred and one knife equaling five thousand.
The shape of a knife equaling five thousand is very similar to the current key. The money body is composed of two parts: the knife ring and the handle. The upper part of the ring says "一" and the lower part says "knife". The handle has the inscription "平". The three characters "五千", among which the two characters "一刀" in the ring are inlaid with gold, are commonly known as "gold staggered swords". Each piece is worth five baht and five thousand.
One knife equals five thousand is the earliest coin used in my country, and it is also the only coin made with gold-wrapped technology. Because of its exquisite production, unique shape, and rarity, it is cherished by coin collectors. There is also a lot of praise for the "gold-coated knife" in ancient Chinese poetry, such as Du Fu's poem: "The gold-coated bag is empty, and the silver pot of wine is easy to buy on credit."
10. The shortest-used coins in China
In July 1861, Emperor Xianfeng of the Qing Dynasty was critically ill at the Chengde Summer Resort in Rehe, and granted eight special titles to Sushun, Zaiyuan and Duanhua. People like to serve as ministers of state affairs and handle state affairs. Soon, Emperor Xianfeng died of illness. The eight ministers followed the imperial edict and supported Zaichun as emperor. They planned to change the Yuan Dynasty to "Qixiang" and mint "Qiyang" coins the following year. In her and Ci'an's name, Cixi contacted Prince Gong Yixin, who was staying in Beijing at the time, and launched a palace coup on September 30, arresting eight ministers and executing Sushun and three others. This is the famous "Xinyou Coup", also known as the "Qixiang Coup". Soon after, Cixi adopted the proposal of the great scholar Zhou Zupei, abolished the "Qixiang" era name, stopped minting "Qixiang" coins, switched to the "Tongzhi" era name, and minted "Tongzhi" coins. The "Qixiang" era name was determined on July 26, the 11th year of Xianfeng, but it was abolished on October 5 of that year. It only existed for 69 days. "Qixiang money" can be said to be the shortest-used item in our country. coin.
11. China’s earliest coin with an era name
The use of era names by Chinese emperors began with Emperor Wu of the Western Han Dynasty, but the earliest coin with an era name in history was cast by Li Shou during the Sixteen Kingdoms Han Xingqian. Li Shou was the nephew of Li Te, the leader of the uprising army in the late Western Jin Dynasty. In the fourth year of Xiankang in the Eastern Jin Dynasty (338), he proclaimed himself emperor in Chengdu, changed the country's name to Han, took Hanxing as the year name, and cast Hanxing coins. The Hanxing lines can be divided into two types according to the Qianwen arrangement: one is arranged up and down, commonly known as "vertical Hanxing" or "straight Hanxing", and the other is arranged left and right, commonly known as "horizontal Hanxing".
12. China’s earliest country name, year name and coinage
In 419 AD, King Helian Bobo of the Great Xia Kingdom returned the capital to Tongwan (today’s Baichengzi, Jingbian, Shaanxi), and changed the Yuan Dynasty Zhenxing and coined "Daxia Zhenxing" money. Daxia is the name of the country, and Zhenxing is the name of the year. "Daxia Zhenxing" coin is the earliest coin in my country with the country name and year name combined.
13. China's earliest Youkong Yuan coin with place name cast in it
Lingling sages said: "Liu Bei conquered Chengdu, but the military was insufficient and he was very worried about it. Liu Ba said: ' It's easy to make money, but it's time to cast a hundred coins to equalize the prices. In a few months, the treasury will be full." The "hundred coins" mentioned here refers to a hundred and five bahts. There is a kind of straight hundred and five baht with the word "WEI" on the back, which was cast by Liu Bei in Qianwei, Sichuan. It is the earliest round coin with a square hole and a place name in my country.
14. China’s earliest coin with the date cast on the back
Chinese coins started to add the year on the back of the coin from the seventh year of Chunxi, Emperor Xiaozong of the Southern Song Dynasty (1180), such as the coins in the seventh year of Chunzhao. The character "Qi" is cast on the back, and the character "eight" is cast on the back of the money for eight years, both in capital letters. It changes to lowercase after nine years until sixteenth year. This method continued until the end of the Southern Song Dynasty. Therefore, Chunxi Yuanbao is the earliest coin in my country with a commemorative date on its back.
15. The first era name coin of the Tang Dynasty in China
Most people mistakenly think that Kaiyuan Tongbao is the first era name coin of the Tang Dynasty in my country. In fact, this is wrong. Kaiyuan was the reign name changed by Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty in 713 AD, and Kaiyuan Tongbao was cast in the fourth year of Emperor Wude of the Tang Dynasty (621). The "Kaiyuan" in the Kaiyuan Tongbao Qian text is not the year name, but the meaning of "creating a new era". So what is the first year coin of the Tang Dynasty? It was the Qianfeng Quanbao cast in the first year of Qianfeng's reign (666) by Emperor Gaozong of the Tang Dynasty and was used for only one year.
16. The most precious Buddhist temple donation money in China
Mount Wutai in Shanxi is one of the four famous Buddhist mountains in my country and a world-famous Buddhist holy place. In the spring of 1988, during the construction of the pagoda, a batch of Chunhua Buddha statue money was unearthed. It was made of gold and had a fineness of more than 90%. The diameter of the money is 2.4 cm, the thickness is 0.12 cm, the diameter is 0.5 cm, and each piece weighs about 12 grams. The money inscription on the front is the four characters "Chunhua Yuanbao" in running script, and on the back are two Buddha statues standing on the left and sitting on the right. There is a Buddha light screen on the back of the sitting Buddha, and the standing Buddha is Wei Tuo, holding Ruyi in his hand. There are lotus pedestals under both Buddha statues. The Buddha statues are lifelike in shape and body. The three-dimensional bulge of the Buddha's body is 0.2 cm, and the facial features are clearly distinguishable.
Chunhua is the reign name of Taizong of the Northern Song Dynasty. This batch of Chunhua Yuanbao coins, with Buddha statues cast on their backs, has a unique shape. It was obviously an offering coin specifically cast by the royal family at that time and enshrined in the Wutai Mountain temple. This is the first time that such batches of gold Buddhist temple donation money have been discovered in my country, so they have high historical value and cultural relic value.
17. China's earliest pair of coins
The so-called pair of coins means that the two coins have the same inscriptions, the same place of casting, and the same size, outline and other shapes. There are two styles of writing. The Kaiyuan Tongbao Xiaoping coin cast by Li Jing in the Southern Tang Dynasty has two calligraphy styles: seal script and official script. It is the earliest coin in my country. It is said that Kaiyuan Tongbao in seal script was written by the great calligrapher Xu Xuan.
18. China’s earliest Yushu coins
Many of the inscriptions on ancient Chinese coins were written by the emperor himself, and are called Yushu coins.
For example, Daguan Tongbao, Chongning Tongbao and Xuanhe Tongbao with the character "Shaan" on the back of the Northern Song Dynasty were written by Song Huizong in thin gold script. The earliest royal writing coin in my country is the Chunhua Yuanbao from the early Northern Song Dynasty. The money text was written by Zhao Jiong, Emperor Taizong of the Song Dynasty, in three styles: real script, running script and cursive script.
19. The most complicated-named coin in Chinese history
The Jiading coin of the Southern Song Dynasty is the most complicated-named coin in Chinese history. According to the denomination, it is divided into Xiaoping, Zheer, and Zhe 3. 50% off *** four types, each denomination has a variety of different names, including Yuanbao, Yongbao, Zhibao, Jinbao, Xingbao, Anbao, Xinbao, Hongbao, Wanbao and Zhengbao , Zhenbao, Chongbao, Fengbao, Zhibao, Longbao, Chongbao, Zhenbao, Tongbao, Quanbao, etc.
20. The metal coin with the largest face value in China
The national treasure Jingui Zhiwan is a very strange-looking coin. The coin body is composed of two parts: the upper round square hole, the seal script The four characters "National Treasure Golden Chamber" are read directly, the lower part is in the shape of a shovel, and the two characters "Zhiwan" are written in seal script. This coin is recognized as the currency of Wang Mang's period. Because the inscription on the coin is "One sword equals five thousand", that is, one coin is worth five thousand baht, then the inscription on this coin is "straight ten thousand", that is, one coin is worth five baht and ten thousand. Therefore, the national treasure Jingui Zhiwan is the metal coin with the largest face value in our country.
21. China's earliest lead-engraved mother's money
According to historical data, only the lead-engraved mother's coins from Guangxu Tong in the Qing Dynasty, such as Baobao Su and Bao Dun, have not been seen. This is the first time that the Yuan Dynasty Dayuan national treasure, the ten-lead carved mother coin, has been discovered in our country. This coin has a diameter of 4.6 centimeters and a weight of 53.3 grams. It is carved after the Taihe Chongbao Ten Coins of the Jin Dynasty. The two are exactly the same in terms of production style, size, thickness, and text thickness. After this coin was carved, it was intended to be minted as copper coins for circulation. It may be that the word "national treasure" is not suitable as a coin name, or due to other reasons, this type of copper coin has not been used. This Dayuan national treasure has a history of more than 700 years and is the earliest lead-carved mother coin in my country.
22. China’s earliest copper carved mother coin
Carved mother coins are hand-carved coins using copper, ivory, lead, tin, etc. as currency materials. Use it to cast mother money, and then use mother money to recast circulating coins. Therefore, the coin industry also calls the carved mother money ancestral money, saying that it is the ancestor of money.
The earliest bronze mother's money in my country should be the top ten coins of the Ming Dynasty Jiajing Tongbao collected in Nanjing Museum. The copper color of this coin is golden, the texture is fine, the surface is smooth and clean, there are no pores and blisters, the words are like chops, and the knife marks are still there. There were many carved mother coins in our country during the Qing Dynasty. In the Ming Dynasty, there were only a few such as Wanli Tongbao and Chongzhen Tongbao. However, this Jiajing Tongbao is the earliest and has the best quality. It can be called a treasure of coins.
23. China’s earliest peasant uprising army coin
In the fourth year of Chunhua (993), the fourth year of Emperor Taizong of the Northern Song Dynasty, Wang Xiaobo and Li Shun in Qingcheng, Sichuan led a peasant uprising and proposed that "I am sick and poor but rich." Farmers all over the country responded to the slogan “Uneven, now it’s all about you.” After Wang Xiaobo died in battle, Li Shun succeeded him as the leader, and his momentum grew day by day. The next year, the peasant uprising army captured Chengdu, Li Shun became king, the founding name was Dashu, and the reign name was Yingyun. Soon the rebel army was suppressed by the Northern Song Dynasty ruling group, and Li Shun also died when the city was breached. When Li Shun became king, he cast Yingyun Yuanbao and Yinggan Tongbao copper and iron Xiaoping coins, which are extremely rare in the world. This coin is now in the Shanghai Museum. It dates back more than 1,000 years and is the earliest peasant rebel army coin in my country.
24. The earliest coin in China to use the word "subtract"
The earliest coin in my country to use the word "subtract" was the "Sacred Treasure" of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom cast during the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom. The word "国" in Qian's text is neither the traditional Chinese character "国" nor the simplified Chinese character "国", but the Chinese character "国".
25. The largest and heaviest coin in China
The Hunan Provincial Museum has a very large coin from the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom. It has been damaged and only half a fragment remains. Its diameter is 33.5 cm and its thickness is 33.5 cm. 0.8 cm, half a piece weighs 2170 grams. This extra large coin is made of brass and is gilded all over, with only the word "Tai Tian" remaining on the front. On the edge is a pattern of two dragons playing with beads. On the back, there is still a word "holy", with a pattern of double phoenixes next to it, and on the edge is a pattern of eight treasures. If the inscription on this coin is complete, it may be the "sacred treasure" carried by the "Taiping Heavenly Kingdom". It is obvious that such a large amount of money is not circulating currency, but a commemorative special coinage. If this coin is intact, it will weigh about 4,500 grams and be as big as a tea tray. Therefore, it is well deserved to be said to be the largest and heaviest coin in our country.
26. The lightest and smallest coins in China
There has been small money in our country throughout the ages. Small money is sometimes called "evil money" and is a manifestation of currency devaluation. For example, the Western Han Dynasty's half liang of elm pods, five baht with chicken eyes, Dong Zhuo's unwritten coins, etc. are all very light and small, but the lightest and smallest coins are undoubtedly the goose eyes cast in the first year of Jinghe of Liu Song Dynasty (465) in the Southern and Northern Dynasties. money. This kind of money "can't grow more than three inches if it's a thousand dollars, it won't sink when it's put into water, it will break easily, and it won't make a profit if it's hundreds of thousands of dollars." Because it is too small and light to be preserved, it is difficult to see it in person today, 1,500 years later.
27. China’s earliest silver coin with human figures
During the Guangxu period of the late Qing Dynasty, a large amount of British Indian rupees flowed into Tibet and penetrated into Sichuan, Yunnan and other places, causing economic damage to the southwest frontier. Serious damage. In order to resist the invasion of Indian rupees, the Qing government decided in the 32nd year of Guangxu (1906) to officially mint Sichuan rupees by the Sichuan Provincial Silver Dollar Bureau. There are three types: one rupee, half rupee and quarter rupee. The central flowers are divided into straight flowers and horizontal flowers, with fewer horizontal flowers.
The Indian rupee has a bust of Queen Victoria on the front, while the Sichuan rupee has a bust of Emperor Guangxu. It is the earliest silver coin with human figures in our country and the only official currency in circulation with images of emperors.
28. China’s earliest officially circulating silver coins
my country has used silver coins very early, but before the Qing Dynasty, silver coins were only used as rewards and storage, not as official currency. The earliest official circulating silver coins in my country are the Qianlong Treasures minted in the fifty-seventh year of Qianlong's reign in the Qing Dynasty (1792). This kind of silver coin is divided into three grades. The larger one weighs one cent and five cents, the medium one weighs one cent and the small one weighs five cents. The medium one weighs the most and is only used in Tibet. The coins are made by hand and are very thin, commonly known as "thin sheets". On the front of the money are the Chinese characters "Qianlong Treasure", and on the back are Tangut characters, which also means "Qianlong Treasure". There is a square frame in the center of the coin, which symbolizes a square hole, but it is not drilled through. There are years cast on the edge, which are listed at the top, bottom, left and right, and there are three types: fifty-eight years, fifty-nine years and sixty years.
29. China’s earliest machine-cast silver coins
my country’s silver coins have a long history of casting, but they all use two methods: casting and hand-making. In the 19th century, the machine industry in various countries around the world flourished, and machine minting appeared one after another. As a result, my country's original minting technology seemed very backward. In the 10th year of the reign of Emperor Guangxu of the Qing Dynasty (1884), the "Jilin Changping" silver coin, which represented advanced technology, was born. It was produced under the supervision of the Jilin Machinery Bureau and was the earliest silver coin cast by machine in my country.
The "Jilin Changping" silver coins are a complete set of five coins, divided into five denominations: one coin, three coins, half a coin, seven coins and one or two coins. In the center of the front are the twelve Chinese characters "Produced by the Jilin Machinery Bureau in the 10th year of Guangxu". There are two dragons on both sides of the characters, and there is a seal character "Shou" on the top, forming a pattern of two dragons offering longevity. In the central box on the back is the factory period value in Chinese, and the outer circle is in corresponding Manchu and has a moiré pattern. This kind of silver coin was presented to the Qing court when it was minted, but it was not approved, so it was not issued. Only a small amount was scattered among the people, so it is very precious.
30. The earliest Longyang in China
In the late Qing Dynasty, many provinces in my country successively minted machine-made silver coins, some of which had a dragon pattern on the back, commonly known as "Longyang". The earliest Long Yang in China was the Guangdong Long Yang initiated and cast by Zhang Zhidong.
In the 13th year of Guangxu (1887), Zhang Zhidong, the governor of Guangdong and Guangxi, saw that a large number of foreign silver coins were flowing into China, flooding the market and disrupting the economy, so he asked the court to mint silver coins in order to resist. In the fifteenth year of Guangxu (1889), the Qing government approved the trial casting of silver coins by the Guangdong Silver Dollar Bureau. On the front of this silver coin are the four characters "Guangxu Yuanbao", with four Manchu characters in the center, which is also "Guangxu Yuanbao", and the outer bead circle is in English. The words "Guangdong Province" and "Seven cents and three cents" are written on the back, with a dragon pattern on the back, the words "Made in Guangdong Province" on the top, and the words "Kuping seven cents and three cents" on the bottom. There are also three cents, six cents and five cents, and one cent and four cents. It is divided into four denominations: six cents, seven cents and three cents, and three cents, six cents and five cents. In the coin industry, it is called "Qi San Fan Ban", and later changed to seven cents and two cents, called "Qi Er Fan Ban". This is the earliest casting in China. After the sample coins were sent to Beijing, the Ministry of Finance ordered the English on the front to be moved to the back, and the Chinese on the back to the front, which became the widely circulated Guangdong Longyang.
31. China's earliest copper coin
In the late Qing Dynasty, with the rise and development of modern industry, my country's currency system and coinage technology underwent a major change. The hand-cast coinage method has become very important. As for copper coins, the Guangdong Provincial Mint first minted my country's first set of machine-made copper coins in the 26th year of Guangxu's reign (1900). There is no hole. There is a circle in the middle of the money face. There are four Chinese characters for "Guangxu Yuanbao" in it. In the center is the Manchu character "Baoguang". Outside the circle, near the outer corner, there are the words "One hundred coins for one yuan made in Guangdong Province". The back of the money There is a dragon pattern in the middle circle, and the English "Kwangtung One Cent" (Guangdong One Cent) is written around it. Later, various provinces imitated Guangdong copper coins, with the same basic shape, and the dragon pattern and the text on the back of the coin were arranged in various ways, and there were many versions. /p>
32. The earliest banknote in China
As early as the Tiansheng period of the Northern Song Dynasty, my country established Jiaoziwu in Yizhou, Sichuan, and the country officially issued banknotes, called "Jiaozi". ", but this kind of Jiaozi can no longer be seen in kind.
In 1982, the Chinese government repaired the Liao Dynasty White Pagoda in the eastern suburbs of Hohhot City, Inner Mongolia, and found it in the soil of the second floor corridor of the tower. I bought a banknote "Zhongtong Yuanbao Shiwen". This banknote is 16.4 centimeters long and 9.3 centimeters wide. It has red official seals on the top and bottom of the front and the top of the back. It is from the Yuan Dynasty in 1260. Zhongtong Baobao, Pasiba created the new Mongolian characters in 1269. This banknote does not have Pasiba characters on the surface, so it is said to be issued between 1260 and 1269, earlier than other existing Yuan Dynasty banknotes. Zhang "Zhongtong Yuanbao Handover·Shiwen" is the earliest existing banknote in my country and the earliest physical banknote in the world today.
33. The largest banknote in China
At the beginning of the founding of the Ming Dynasty, the method of the early Yuan Dynasty was followed, and banknotes were used without money. However, it was soon changed to use both banknotes and banknotes, with banknotes as the mainstay and money as a supplement.
The banknotes of the Ming Dynasty were issued in the eighth year of Taizu Hongwu (1375). They were surrounded by a dragon-patterned flower railing with the six characters "Da Ming Tong Xing Bao Chao" written horizontally on them. There were four characters on each side of the patterned railing. Seal script with one character and one line: "The Ming Dynasty treasure banknotes are popular all over the world". There is a picture of ancient coins in the middle. Below it is "Zhongshu Shengzhuo, printed and used in common currency. Forgers will be killed, and those who accuse will be loaned 250 yuan." "Twelve", at the end there is the year, month and day of Hongwu. In the 13th year of Hongwu's reign, the Zhongshu Province was abolished and six ministries were established. Banknote making belonged to the Ministry of Household Affairs and minting belonged to the Ministry of Industry, so the Zhongshu Province on the banknotes was changed to the Ministry of Household Affairs. The Ming Dynasty treasure banknotes are divided into six types: 100 Wen, 200 Wen, 300 Wen, 400 Wen, 500 Wen and Yiguan. The Yiguan note is about 34 centimeters long and 22 centimeters wide. It is the largest banknote in my country. It is also the largest banknote in the world.
34. The smallest banknote in China
In the first year of Xuantong of the Qing Dynasty (1909), Zhejiang Province changed the name of the original official bank to Bank of Zhejiang, and in the first year of the Republic of China (1912) Zhejiang Bank of the Republic of China was originally a commercial office run by government officials. In the 4th year of the Republic of China (1915), it was changed to Zhejiang Local Industrial Bank. In the 12th year of the Republic of China (1923), the official and commercial shares were separated and operated separately. The commercial shares were called Zhejiang Industrial Bank and the official shares were called Zhejiang Local Bank. In order to solve the shortage of auxiliary coins at that time, the latter issued a one-cent banknote. This banknote was only 5 centimeters long and 2.5 centimeters wide. It was the smallest banknote in my country so far.
35. The earliest RMB in China
In 1948, a RMB with a face value of 50 yuan collected by Shi Lei, then the head of the issuance section of North China Bank, was the first RMB in my country. A piece of RMB.
On December 1, 1948, the North China People's Government issued the Golden Proclamation No. 4. The announcement stated: "In order to meet the needs of the national economy, we have obtained the consent of the Shandong Provincial Government and the Shaanxi-Gansu-Ningxia and Shanxi-Suiyuan Regional Governments" to merge "North China Bank, Beihai Bank, and Northwest Farmers Bank into the 'People's Bank of China', with the original North China Bank is the head office and will issue People's Bank of China banknotes as the standard currency of North China, East China and Northwest China on December 1 this year, and they will be circulated uniformly." On the day of issuance, Shi Lei obtained the approval of relevant departments. Later, he exchanged the first batch of RMB with the Jinan banknotes and has treasured it to this day.
The denomination of this RMB collected by Shi Lei is "five hundred yuan coupons", the crown is the Roman character "ⅠⅡⅢ", and the number is "00000001". The Chinese characters on the RMB, including "People's Bank of China", "Republic of China", "五世元", etc. were all written by Dong Biwu, then chairman of the North China People's Government, in beautiful and elegant fonts.
36. China’s largest denomination banknote
During the Kuomintang’s rule, there was social unrest and economic depression. In order to cope with the passive situation of inflation, the pseudo-government continued to issue large-denomination banknotes. Large-denomination banknotes such as one hundred thousand, one million, and ten million were successively issued. Among them, the largest denomination is the "6 billion yuan" banknote, which was issued in Xinjiang in 1949.
37. China’s earliest coin with ethnic minority scripts as its inscriptions
In 1977, a large Khitan coin was unearthed from the Shangjing site in the Liao Dynasty, with the inscription "Wanshun of the Celestial Dynasty" or "Long Live the Celestial Dynasty" ", according to research, it was cast by Yelu Abaoji before the founding of the People's Republic of China (907). This should be the earliest coin in China to use ethnic minority characters as currency inscriptions.
38. The earliest numismatic monograph in China
The earliest numismatic monograph in my country is Gu Xuan's "Qian Pu". Gu Xuan was a native of Liang in the Northern and Southern Dynasties. He served as the Jian'an Order and was given to the Marquis. He was the successor of Sun Wu Prime Minister Gu Yong. According to the records of "Quan Zhi" written by Hong Zun of the Southern Song Dynasty: "(ancient coins) have been passing by for a long time, and many types have been submerged without records. Liang Guxuan first wrote the book. All the coins built in the past dynasties, large and small, have an ethical order, so that Those who come after this can be summarized." Unfortunately, this earliest numismatic work has been lost.
39. The earliest existing numismatic works in China
Our country’s numismatic heritage is very rich. There were monographs on numismatics as early as 1400 to 500 years ago, but before the Northern Song Dynasty, All numismatic works have been lost. The earliest surviving ancient coin genealogy can be attributed to Hong Zun's "Quan Zhi" in the Southern Song Dynasty.
Hong Zun (1120-1174) was a native of Poyang (now Boyang, Jiangxi) in the Southern Song Dynasty. At the age of twenty-three, he passed the Ci Department and was awarded a Jinshi. Later he was promoted to Secretary, Province Zhengzi. He once served as a bachelor of Zizheng Palace and died in Yi Wen'an. He is the author of books such as "Revision of the True Version of Historical Records", "Hanyuan Qunshu" and "Pu Shuang", among which "Quanzhi" is the most famous. "Quanzhi" was written in the 19th year of Shaoxing (1149), and recorded 348 coins, including Yongguang, Jinghe, Tiancheng, Qianfeng Quanbao Daqian, Tiance, Yonglong, Tiande, Tongxing Quanhuo, Tianzan and so on are all treasures of coins.
"Quanzhi" has unique insights into issues such as the dating of pre-Qin currency, and has a great influence on the study of numismatics in later generations of our country