Xinjiang Silver Cash Coin

V.Belyaev
Nov.29, 2001
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Diameter 23.2 mm, thickness 1.0 mm, weight 2.91 g = 0.77 mace
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Click image to enlarge Click image to enlarge
Diameter 23.2 mm, thickness 1.1 mm, weight 3.49 g = 0.92 mace
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Obverse - Chinese (tbrl) Zu Yin Yi Qian - 'pure silver, one mace' (1 mace = 3.781 g)
Reverse - Uighur gumush bir mithqal - '1 silver mithqal'

Source: Portraits of the Greats of China (Taibei: Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall, 1979) It is the rarest Xinjiang1 cash coin issued in silver by Qing Dynasty general Zuo Zongtang2 in 1880 (the 6th year of the Emperor Guang Xu period). This issue is very rare, because
- it is a silver cash coin;
- it is an official silver coin for circulation;
- it was issued by a military official.
There are two varieties in the arrangement of the reverse legend. The variety with vertical Uighur legend (var.A) is much rarer than that with horizontal one (var.B). Both varieties are shown here.

How many coins are known to exist?
# Variety Location Reference Images
1 A Singapore
private collection


2 Russia
private collection
this webpage
obv.
rev.
3 Japan?
Kahei 1935
obv.
rev.
4 B China, Shanghai Museum Zhou Xiang
Sun Zhonghui
obv.
rev.
5 China, Xinjiang
private collection


6 China, Xinjiang
private collection


7 Russia
private collection
this webpage
obv.
rev.
8 Europe
private collection?
Kann #1000
obv.
rev.
9 ? Krause-Mishler
obv.
rev.
10 Japan?
Kahei 1935
Xinjiang Numismatics
obv.
rev.
11 ?
Lin Gwo-ming
obv.
rev.

References:

  • The Xinjiang silver cash, Kahei (Japan), No.201, Showa 10th year 12th month (December 1935). Variety B from this articles was published in 'Xinjiang Numismatics' (obv, rev).

  • Kann E., Illustrated Catalog of Chinese Coins (Gold, Silver, Nickel and Aluminium), Hong Kong, 1954, #1000.
          Between 1865 and 1877 an adventurer, named Yakub Beg, succeeded in wresting and holding the reins of government at Kashgaria. He issued some coins in gold, silver and copper, these where inscribed in Turki <in Kann's book it has the same meaning as "Uighur" - V.B.> script only and dated according to the Annus Hegirae.
    After the re-conquest of SIN-KIANG by a Chinese army led by General Tso Tsung-tang, then governor of Shensi and Kansu, the first silver coin with Chinese inscriptions was struck on behalf of Turkestan in Kansu's capital Lanchowfu in 1876. It weighed 60 grains and was 22 mm in diameter. Round in circumference, it has a raised rim. The obversde bears the inscription in Chinese , denoting: One Mace of Pure Silver. On the reverse is found the Turki legend: "Bir Miscal Kamush", being a translation of the Chinese inscription. "Kamush" is the name given to small pieces of sycee silver in every-day parlance at Yarkand and Kashgar.
          ... Type 1000 was minted in the Arsenal of Lanchowfu (Kansu) by order of General Tso Tsung-tang when he was campaigning against Yakub Beg's Sinkiang armies. The coin is very scarce and is distinguished by having a square hole in the center. Contained in the collections of E.Kann.
          22.5 mm in diameter; 0.5 mm thick.


  • Dong Qingxuan, Jiang Qixiang, Xinjiang Numismatics, Hong Kong, 1991, p.77, #306 (coin rubbing only from Kahei 1935, not photo - obv., rev.).
          In the sixth year of the Guangxu's reign (1880), General Zuo Zongtang decided to make circular and square-holed standard silver coins to take the place of the small "tanga" silver currency. He did so because he saw great disparities in the weight and quality of the 5-candereen "tanga" silver currency made by different mints or at different times, which caused much trouble to the public. To start with, General Zuo had a new coin mold made of copper by the Arsenal of Lanzhou and shipped to General Zhang Yao, to whom he entrusted the task of supervising the coinage of the standard silver currency. The new metal money was all made by striking and stamping in excellent workmanship. The coins were all of the same thickness. No sooner had a year gone by, however, than the enterprise was brought to an end. For the mint suffered too big losses of capital because of the excessive cost of the production.
          Note on the page 205: weight 3.73 g, thickness 0.5 mm, diameter 22.5 mm.


  • Lin Gwo-ming, Ma Tak-wo, Chen Gi-mao, Illustrated Catalogue of Sinkiang Gold and Silver Coins, Taiwan, 1990, pp.204-205, coin H1.
          Towards the end of the reign of Emperor Tung Chih (AD 1866-1877), the rebel Yakub Beg controlled Southern Sinkiang and issued his own copper, gold and silver coins, the latter being silver five-fen pieces. After he had suppressed the rebellion in the Third Year of Kuang Hsu (AD 1877), General Tso Tsung-tang asked the Imperial Court for permission to replace the slver five-fen pieces, which he considered rife with defects, poor workmanship, non-uniformity in shape, size and fineness, etc. The new coin which came out three years later (AD 1880) was a round struck silver piece with a square hole in the centre. It was well-made and uniform in weight and fineness, and soon gained wide acceptance. Nevertheless, production of the new issue stopped a year later because of the high minting costs.
          In the Sixth Year of Kuang Hsu (AH1297 = AD1880), Tso Tsung-tang had a pair of dies made in Lanchow Kansu. The new coin with a square hole in the centre was actually struck in Kuche, Sinkiang.
          ... Most extremely rare.


  • Krause C.L., Mishler C., 1995 Standard Catalog of World Coins, 1995, 22nd edition (1801-1994), China-Sinkiang-Milled Coinage section, Kann#1000.
          Kann #1000 was minted at the Arsenal of Lachowfu in Gansu (Kansu) by the order of General Tso Tsung-tang when he was campaigning against Yakub Beg's3 Sinkiang (Xinjiang) armies. <Rebel Yakub Beg controlled much of Xinjiang between 1865 and 1877 - V.B.>

  • Zhou Xiang, Zhunguo qianbi, 2000, #3, pp.41-43.
          Coin photos are at the second cover page of the magazine - obverse, reverse. This coin was donated to the collection of the Shanghai Museum by Shi Jiagan, a famous Chinese collector of milled and machine-struck coins.

  • Sun Zhonghui, Jian Ming Qianbi Cidian.
          Shanghai Museum coin published.

Notes:
1. In the middle of the 18th century, several names were used simultaneously for the lands on the western borders of China - Xiyu, Xijiang, Xicui, all meaning 'Western Regions'. In 1757 the Qing government (the period of Emperor Qianlong) reunited this territory, renamed it into Xinjiang - 'New Territory', and established the Ili Huiyuan City General to govern the areas north and south of the Tianshan Mountains. The name Xinjiang has been used up to the present day.

2. General Zuo Zontang (1812-1885) is known not only as warrier, who took part in wars during the Taiping Rebellion (middle of the XIXth Century) and Muslim Rebellions in Xinjiang (third part of the XIXth Century), but also as poet, artist and calligraphy master.

3. China became weakened in the course of the Taiping Rebellion (1850-64), the second Opium War (1857-60), and Muslim Rebellions in Yunnan (1855-1873) and Shaanxi (1862-1873). Between 1864 and 1877, the Muslims in Xinjiang revolted and set up an independent state Kashgaria under the leadership of the Khoqand adventurer Yaqub Beg, who tried to maintain good relations with both Britain and Russia, in the hope that they would be able to protect him against the inevitable Chinese attempt to once again bring the area and its inhabitants under the control of the Qing dynasty. Under these unstable conditions, the Russians proceeded annexing the Ili Valley in 1870-71, grounding it by the need to maintain law and order in this area adjacent to their newly-conquered territory in Russian Turkestan. In 1877, Yaqub Beg was defeated by general Zuo Zongtang, and Xinjiang was recaptured. General Zuo referred to Xinjiang as "a homeland newly returned" to show that it had always been a part of China and not a newly acquired territory. However, the "Ili Crisis" lasted until 1881, when the St. Petersburg Treaty affirming the return of most of the annexed territory to China was signed, although Russia kept some of it and China had to pay indemnities to her and allow her to open up more consulates in the area. In 1884, Xinjiang officially became a province of China.


Comparable table of images.

Thanks to Gilbert Tan and Vladimir Nastich for some information about those coins.

Any additional comments on the item would be appreciated.
You can send them to Vladimir Belyaev.


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