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Auction: CSS100A - Chinese Banknotes and Coins
Lot: 291

China, Qing Dynasty, [Zhong Qian 80] brass charm coin / membership token, square central hole, Chinese characters 'Ji Xing Gong Zhao' on obverse, unknown characters on reverse, 28.3x1.2mm, weighs 5.1g. Chinese numismatist Sun Zhonghui once appraised this coin as "a coin with all characters on reverse containing the component of Ku, identical to the invented characters used by members of Heaven and Earth Society, hence described by Ma Dingxiang as membership token of the secret society with unknown characters, and only two specimens are said to exist", therefore extremely rare and precious. A similar coin from the extensive Chinese charm coin collection of the late Dr. Werner Burger was sold at Spink for 9000 HKD as lot 2535 in CSS92C, but the current example is likely in a more elevated state of preservation, and the auspicious inscriptions are exactly the same as the ones noted by the afore mentioned Sun Zhonghui and Ma Dingxiang. Highly intriguing


清代吉星拱照方穿花錢，背四異字，28.3x1.2mm，重5.2克。中國錢幣學家馬定祥、馬傳德父子著《太平天國錢幣》（上海人民出版社1983）將其定為天地會信號錢：「此錢質為黄銅，製作粗糙，重5.2克。正面四字，都很奇特而難識，當是天地會組織内部作為暗號使用的特種文字。」中國錢幣鑑定家孫仲匯曾如是評此錢：「面文四字均有庫部，與天地會暗語中的生造字雷同，故《太平天國錢幣》定為待釋的天地會錢幣，惟書中所收面文同此，背文為吉星拱照，並云該錢迄今共發現兩枚。彌足珍貴。」斯賓克中國於2023年CSS92C的“著名清錢學者/收藏家布威納博士舊藏-第三部分：中國花錢”拍賣有類似的四異字天地會信號錢，為拍品2535，當時以9000港元拍出。現今此處藏品品相更吸引，其歷史背景亦意義重大，耐人尋味，中國古泉及花錢藏家不容錯過！

Sold for
HK$6,500

Starting price
HK$3000