It is the sacrificial coin of the Yuan Dynasty.
In the Cash coin index, compiled by W.Op den Velde, we can found next
information, based on the article of Sun Chung Hui "A study of the
temple coins of the Yuan Dynasty", China Numismatics, 1986-1, p.43-48:
Most of the time coins were made as sacrificial offerings to use in the
temples. These sacrificial coins were as official as those from official
mints. In the Yuan Dynasty to mint coins was not profitable. So there were
no private minting activities. The temple's wealth enabled them to cast
coins regardless the high costs. Besides, it served them as a pretext to ask
for more funds from the Royal court. The temples had their own foundries,
first to make huge bells and copper statues. Sacrificial coins were also
produced there, but the workmanship of mintage was inferior to that of
professionals. So there are mostly crude, poorly made, and the characters
are often in hasty, careless writing. So far no record has been found about
the production, usage and circulation of sacrificial coins. In the past
there have been notions of so-called Internal-organ coins to be stringed and
coiled inside the Buddhist statues to represent the internal organs. So far
no evidence to verify this assertion has been found. Most of the Buddhist
statues were hollow, made of silk linen painted with layers of lacquer.
In
1965 a great quantity of Ming Dynasty paper money was discovered inside the
Buddhas in the White Dagoba temple in Peking. Since the Tang Dynasty it has
been a custom to offer coins before Buddha statues and altars. Sacrificial
coins were stringed and hng besides the niche, as to pray for freedom of
illness. The offerings were taken away and divided among the monks. The
sacrificial coins might be divided into the following categories:
- coins bearing a reign title.
- coins bearing a reign title and the title of the empire.
- coins bearing the title of a famouse Buddhist priest.
- coins bearing the name of a temple.
- coins with the name of a Buddhist scripture.
- coins to be used by pilgrims.
Mu Qing is a hall in the White Dagoba temple, Peking.
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