Gold bar from the Chinese mint

Click image to enlarge

Message from Thomas (10-Jan-02):

I have a number of gold bars from China as shown in the photos.
Stephen Tai has provided the following comments to me:
"Xiu Jin Yuan Liao" gold bars from the Chinese Mint (1930's).
Since 1936, all the gold and silver bullions were forced to withdraw from circulation, those gold shops which made goldwares, from that time, would have to purchase gold bullions from the government who monopolized the supply. The small gold bar as the image shown, may be one of them."

Message from Hao Sun (13-Jan-02):

According to E. Kann's article:"The National Central Mint at Shanghai" (The Coin Collector's Journal, Nov.-Dec., 1949), as a result of the ravages of the war, the Central Mint had dispersed and became an empty building till the beginning of 1948, but when he visit the mint in January, 1949, the mint administration re-installed two heavy stamping machines and 14 small stamping machines. "...With this makeshift skeleton machinery, enforced by locally added installations, the mint was once more set into motion. At first it cast gold bars in weights of 1/2, 1, 3, 5 and 10 taels (each about 1 ounce troy), from the early autumn of 1948, but toward the end of the year only in 1 tael bars. these were stamped with small chisels and handed over to the Central Bank of China for sale. ...", the mint ceased operation in May, 1949 after Communist armies occupied Shanghai.

Perhaps this gold bar was made at that period. Kann didn't mention gold bars in the mint's 1933-1937 production figures. He formerly a member of the Advisory Mint Commission.

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

Home page