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Auction: CSS92C - THE PRESTIGIOUS ACADEMIC REFERENCE COLLECTION OF THE LATE DR. WERNER BURGER - Part 3: Chinese Charms
Lot: 2252

China: Qing Dynasty (1644–1911 CE), hanging plaque in the shape of lingzhi or reishi mushroom, obverse inscribed four characters in regular script reading 'Jin ma feng sheng', reverse inscribed four Manchurian transliterations of the same Chinese characters, 67.9x2.3mm, 21.2g, in excellent condition and scarce. Note: Manchurian characters are rare on plaque-shaped charms. It is even rarer to find mutual translations between Chinese and Manchurian on the same plaque. This plaque was collected by Dr Burger in the north-eastern city of Shenyang, China, the family seat of the Qing emperors. Its function remains unknown. Judging by the inscriptions, it may have to do with the military and cavalry in particular. Two or three other specimens have been seen so far, all showing strong signs of wear and damage, including the one in the collection of Hirao Sanpei. Judging from the above, this plaque is most likely to have been used as a token of identity or authority. The current specimen is the best in quality and condition. It is the same original piece which is used in Dr Burger’s article on Chinese charms entitled Coins Which are Not Money: Cultural Functions and Symbolism in Money in Asia (1200–1900): Small Currencies in Social and Political Contexts edited by Jane Kate Leonard and Ulrich Theobald, Brill 2022.


金馬風聲掛牌花錢，背滿文，清朝（公元1644–1911），青銅質，67.9x2.2mm，重21.2g。掛牌為靈芝形，飾有如意紋。滿文為 “金馬風聲”音譯。品相極美。滿文花錢甚為少見，一錢之上，滿漢文互譯，則更罕見。另：該錢牌於上世紀八十年代由布氏採自中國瀋陽，但實際功能不明。從銘文來看，似與軍旅或騎兵有關。就形狀而言，此物與元明時期的令牌有相通之處。品相方面，此牌之前僅二、三見，包括日本藏家平尾正平所藏，均有較重使用痕跡和毀損。從以上考慮，此牌疑為清早實用令牌。布氏此枚為迄今品相最佳者，初次發表於布氏“是錢非錢：花錢的文化功能及意義”一文，收錄於《1200-1900的亞洲錢幣：社會與政治框架中的貨幣》一書，J.K Leonard與U. Theobald編輯，2022年布瑞爾出版社出版。

Estimate

Starting price
HK$5000