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Home , Cash (Chinese coin), Knife money, Numismatics, Sycee, Wu Zhu

Robert W. Hoge Chinese numismatics in American museums

Proceedings of the ICOMON meetings, held in conjunction with the ICOM Conference, Melbourne (Australia, 10-16 October, 1998), ed. by Peter Lane and John Sharples.

Melbourne, Numismatic Association of Australia, Inc, 2000. 117 p. (NAA Special publication, 2). (English). pp. 53-61

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CHINESE NUMISMATICS IN AMERICAN MUSEUMS by Robert W. Hoge American Numismatic Association

Zãi zhì luàn; zhî xîng shuãi. address the nature of the development of Chinese Dú shi zhe; kão shí lù. numismatics in American museums, Tõng gu jîn; rò qîn mù. survey the principal holdings of which I am aware, and provide a "[History] records the peace and case-study of the field in an turbulence [of a country]; [through examination of the collections of the it we] know [whether a country] is Museum of the American flourishing or declining. Readers of Numismatic Association. It will history, examine reliable records. touch upon both "the good news and [One should] understand the past the bad news": the prospect of and the present as if [one sees them information and imagery exchange with] his own eyes." through the digital world of 1 cyberspace, and the murky morass of (Three Character Classics) counterfeits.

Introduction Development of American are among the most durable Collections and abundant socio-economic As trade relations between East and documents left to today's world by West grew up in the wake of the civilisations past. , the "Middle 'Age of Discovery', East Asian coins Kingdom," emitted a vast output of found their way into western hands, numismatic materials over the last first as curiosities and souvenirs three millennia, and is indeed very rather than as objects for scholarly likely the region where the concept scrutiny. An early context for the of coined originated. In the collecting of Chinese coins in the West, Chinese numismatics has "New World" was among the Native enjoyed a fair degree of popularity Americans of the Pacific Northwest as a collectors' pastime, but few coastal region (Columbia River collections have developed to a valley, etc.), where the "" coins scale where serious comparative found a popular use as decorative research has become possible. A items. As substantial communities of number of American museums are Chinese immigrants crossed the beneficiaries of these private Pacific to work and settle in the collectors, but their resources have in connection with the not received anything like the labour opportunities provided by attention commonly given to American -mining and classical, medieval and modern railroad-building, traditional Chinese western coinages. Although initial coins came with them. No doubt steps have been taken, in terms of such family heirlooms could have their classification, arrangement, given a first glimpse of China's authentication and publication, numismatic background to many American public collections of other Americans. Chinese numismatic materials offer decidedly unfulfilled potential to this Serious collecting and study of enormous field. This paper will Chinese numismatics in the United

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States only began, however, in the The salient features of Chinese latter half of the 19th century, and at numismatics have long been this time the first American public recognised. Students have had to deal acquisitions may be found. Most of with hypothetical dating this impetus resulted from the discrepancies (coinage was long activities of western diplomats and assigned to legendary rulers as far Christian missionaries then working back as the early Age), with in China. These were educated a genuine lack of pre- Dynasty people who would have already historical documentation, and with possessed some awareness of the relative inaccessibility of classical studies and perhaps even modern archaeological publications. of collecting. Missionaries in But today, basic coin attribution can most cases would not have had be accomplished by anyone with sufficient personal wealth to collect some degree of interest. Chinese valuable art objects in the and their Western marketplace during the course of colleagues have recognised their sojourns among the Chinese, approximately 6,000 distinct issues, but humble coins provided a wide among which nearly innumerable collecting field with considerable varieties may be distinguished. A historical and literary interest for very generalised summary of them. Then missionaries soon Chinese coinage issues may be learned, too, that collecting and useful at this point. studying old coins had a long and - Imitation cowry shells and honourable tradition in China. related "ant-now" and Eventually, Americans returning "ghost-face" metallic castings of from service in the East sold or the earlier ; donated a number of collections to - Zhou Dynasty prototype cast various museums in the United bronze knives and spades States, as was also the case in followed by their less-robust Europe. Scholarly attention was successor, the hollow-handled primarily brought to bear on early spade, perhaps appearing first Chinese coinages by the publication in the "Spring and Autumn" of the first important western period (722-479 BC); language work in the field, - Flat 'Spade' coins; Lacouperie's catalogue of the - 'Knife' coin types; collection of the - Pre- round coins, (1892), and by the writings of generally with round central Henry A. Ramsden, a Briton resident holes; in .2 - Qin and early Han ban lian coinage, about 221 to 118 BC; Collecting by missionaries was - Han and successor dynasties wu brought to an end by the zhu coinage, to AD 618; establishment of the People's - Anachronistic spade, knife and Republic in 1950. For the next 25 roundcoin issues of the usurper years, few coins were exported from , AD 7-22; China although large numbers were - Scarce "" and presumably found in the course of other issues contemporaneous public works projects. In the 1970s, with the issues; with the repositioning of China's - Tang four-character coins and political and economic priorities, their successors, prototypes for quantities of old coins entered the international market place.

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subsequent issues, from AD some 29,619 Chinese numismatic 618; objects of all kinds were listed on - Standard issues from the ANS' computer database. The the onward, bulk of the collection was formed by bearing the imperial nian hao, or John Reilly, Jr. (d. 1931) who had "years designation," notably the acquired the entire collection dui qian Song issues with varying (15,000 pieces) from the scholarly script styles, and later, often with English collector Henry A. Ramsden reverse markings of date, (1872-1915). Reilly's daughter, Mrs. denomination and ; Eric N. Baynes, donated his - Occasional issues of collection in 1937, although it had counterparts to the standard been at the Society since 1917. On bronze coinages; the basis of these holdings, Early - Occasional large denomination Chinese Coinage by Wang coins from periods of Yu-ch'uan was published in 1951, emergency; marking a notable advance in - Paper currency, with known studies of the ancient, spade and genuine specimens dating to the and the earliest round and especially the Ming coins. The ANS also possesses an Dynasties; outstanding library of oriental - Voluminous western- paper reference works and unpublished issues from the 19th century manuscripts. In February 1998, the onward; ANS hosted a "Chinese Cast Coin - -bullion ingots, the locally Workshop", at which ANA museum issued "" series of varying, volunteer George Fisher and I regional forms; presented papers.3 - Western-style, machine-struck coins beginning in the 19th The Museum of the American century; Numismatic Association, - Imitative coinages of Japan, Colorado Springs, Colorado and , and (6,000+ pieces). perhaps - a form of The ANA Museum, with well over circulating counterfeits; 6,000 items, holds perhaps the - Unofficial issues and other second largest collection in the counterfeits in general; United States, with series - Coin-like "charms," and amulets, encompassing the entire range of called ya sheng or hua qian Chinese numismatic material. The ("flower coins"); Arthur Braddan Coole Oriental - Issues from the sphere of Library at the ANA is possibly the Islamic influence in far western foremost such reference collection. China. It served as the basis for Coole's 1967 Bibliography, the most Survey of American comprehensive such work Institutional Collections attempted to date.4 The library includes about 120 shelf feet of The American Numismatic Society, books, in Chinese, Japanese and (45,000+ pieces) western languages. Fuller details on The ANS with more than 45,000 the collection and its development pieces, clearly holds the follow in the case study provided pre-eminent collection in the United below. States, and possibly the foremost in the world. As of February 1998,

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The Smithsonian Institution, University of Pennsylvania Washington, D.C. (3,000± Museum of Archaeology & pieces.) Anthropology, The most important part of the Philadelphia, Pennsylvania National Numismatic Collection at (4,000 pieces) the Smithsonian consists of the The major holding of Chinese coins in cabinet formed by George B. Glover, the University Museum was formed an American who served as a by Edward Waite Thwing, who went commissioner of the Chinese to South China as a missionary in Imperial Maritime Customs at 1892, and subsequently formed an Canton beginning in the 1860s. This outstanding collection with a special collection, which featured some focus on the early spade coins. signal rarities, was published by the Thwing sold his collection in 1905 for well-known British collector S.H.S. the then substantial sum of $2000, Lockhart (3 vols., 1895, 1907) and and the purchaser, Robert C.H. was donated to the Smithsonian by Brock, donated the collection to the Glover's widow in 1897. At the time, Museum's cabinet. Researcher this was considered "probably the Howard Bowker studied the most complete collection in collection in 1946, and reported that existence, surpassing those of it included hundreds of spade coins and ." The Glover (30 of the early hollow-handled collection includes 1,237 Chinese issues), many pieces of knife coins as well as a large number of money and early round coins, but "charms." Through other donations not a single example of the the National collection has obtained interesting issues of the mid-Han significantly more specimens over dynasty period usurper Wang Mang, the years.5 whose archaizing coins are routinely found in most cabinets. The Thwing Field Museum of Natural History, collection numbered altogether Chicago, Illinois (5,000 pieces.) about 4,000 Chinese coins.7 The Field Museum in Chicago holds a major collection of extensive scope, Carnegie Museum of Natural History, roughly 5,000 pieces, but it consists Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (1,135 largely of Manchu issues. Included are several hundred spade, knife and pieces) early round coins, and several dozen The Carnegie Museum of Natural iron pieces. About 500 items are History's major collection of 600 from the former collection of Frank pieces was formed before 1895 by H. Chalfant (1862-1914), who served missionary Stephen A. Hunter, as a Presbyterian missionary in whose daughter Anna Hunter western Shantung Province. donated it to the Museum in 1954. Chalfant gained renown as the first It is a general collection perhaps Western authority on the Shang typical of those formed by the Dynasty oracle bone inscriptions. missionaries. The other collections at the Carnegie, numbering over 500 His numismatic collection covered 8 all periods and included some pieces, are without provenances. interesting rarities as well as numerous counterfeits.6 Newark Museum, Newark, (3,000 pieces) The principal Chinese collection at the Newark Museum was part of the

56 original numismatic accession has helped to popularise this field, (1921) donated by Frank I. Liveright, as has the Publication of George a serious and enthusiastic collector Fisher's edition of the classic of many kinds of numismatic Chinese numismatic reference work materials. Hundreds of Chinese by Ding Fubao Lidai Gu Qain Tu pieces were included, among them Shuo ('Dynastic old coins illustrated examples of the early knives and and described').12 spades, , coin "trees' and casting molds.9 A Case Study: The Museum of the American Numismatic Wesleyan University, Middletown, Association Connecticut (1,000+ pieces) Although some of the ANA Wesleyan University formerly Museum's accessions date back as operated a natural history museum, far as 1928, the museum was featuring many collections of established only in 1967. Its materials obtained by alumni, in collection has rapidly grown to eluding Methodist missionaries to become one of the world's largest China. The numismatic holdings and most important. Scattered include over 1,000 items, mostly donations of Chinese items have unattributed cash coins, but with been given by a number of individual some spades and knives, funerary donors, and a few pieces have been money and counterfeits.10 acquired by purchase or exchange, but the most significant holdings of A number of other American Chinese materials have come from institutional collections are believed only a few sources. to have holdings of Chinese numismatic materials but Of the utmost importance is the information on these is presently well-known oriental library of unavailable.11 Colleges and Arthur Braddan Coole, acquired Universities have commonly been from his estate in 1978. Coole's recipients of typical missionary publication of this collection as part collections, but normally they have of the bibliography for his had little or no awareness of what Encyclopaedia of Chinese Coins was they have been given. Some truly a landmark effort. The museums have divested themselves complete official dynastic history in of their collections, while others have this collection is believed to be one borrowed private collections for of only five or six outside China.13 exhibition purposes. There are Regrettably, Coole sold his presently no curators of Far Eastern numismatic collection to finance his numismatics per se in the United publishing endeavour; yet the ANA States, although the collections at has obtained some items once in it the American Numismatic Society, through gifts made by the purchaser, the Smithsonian Institution and the Jack Klausen, and by Coole's American Numismatic Association son-in-law, John Akers. are actively managed, respectively, by curators Michael L. Bates, In 1991, Baker University, of Richard G. Doty and myself, with the Baldwin City, Kansas, donated to support of volunteers and other the ANA the collection that had been staff. bequeathed in 1930 to this his alma mater by Dr. Thomas Henry Coole, The novel availability of quantities of A.B. Coole's father and original items in the market place recently mentor in Chinese numismatics. The

57 greater part of this collection had part of a huge donation from been identified and mounted onto Werner Amelingmeier. Seventy of 150 cardboard panels for display by these representing all variations A.B. Coole at the time of the present, were accessioned into the bequest. The collection was later cabinet. A.B. Coole had devoted an inventoried and appraised for the entire volume of his encyclopaedia University by Bruce W. Smith.14 As to this series.17 Combined with accessioned in the ANA Museum, other examples in the ANA collection, the collection consists of 1,611 these knife-coin issues are now the items, and is probably fairly typical best-represented ancient Chinese of the missionary collections formed coinage in the museum. during the first part of this century. It contains few rarities but a wide and The museum holds a large representative range of issues. assortment of Chinese paper money, ranging from three of the Ming The collection of Dr. Marlowe E. dynasty Hong Wu guan (1,000 cash) Wegner, who served in China as a notes, two having once belonged to Lieutenant in the U.S. Army Air A.B. Coole, to thousands of Corps during World War II, was duplicate 20th century bank issues. recently donated by his son, About 1,000 notes are presently Christopher Wegner. It presently considered to be part of the comprises 2,347 items, and is permanent collection. There are also generally of better quality than the over 50 'charms' and fantasy pieces T.H. Coole collection. It includes and well over 100 outright examples of the early spade and counterfeits (not including suspect knife money, Zhou, Qin and Han 'imitation' pieces), over 40 silver round coins, Wang Mang issues, 'sycee' ingots, three 'money trees' of and some of the scarcer coins from coins and charms attached to their throughout the traditional Chinese sprue channels, and a number of series of cast coinage. Among these funerary substitutes for actual are specimens from the Three monetary items. Kingdoms and Five Dynasties periods, rebel issues, and a fine Altogether, the ANA collections are selection of and other relatively well catalogued, with most western pieces, relating to pieces identified with both Fisher and Wegner's service at . Schjoth reference numbers, and Armed with a first edition of Schjoth with nearly all pieces adequately and a growing knowledge of Chinese, attributed and classified.18 In this Wegner had the good fortune to extensive project I have been confer with Chinese numismatists wonderfully assisted by volunteer and other scholars who were refugees George Fisher and others. Much from the Japanese.15 These work remains to be done, however, colleagues helped him with his such as entering the collection onto purchasing and with the identification the museum's computer database of counterfeits. In some cases, catalogue. erstwhile curators may have sold him items from former museum The ANA's holdings are available for collections.16 researchers and also in the form of exhibitions in the galleries and as In 1987, the museum received a travelling displays offered to ANA hoard of Yi (or 'Ming', as they are member clubs. For several years better known) type knife coins as the ANA has offered a course on

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Chinese coins, taught by George A. marketplace. Comparison with Fisher, Jr., as part of its annual clearly genuine examples can, in Summer Seminar programs. many cases, demonstrate the falsity of the majority of older counterfeits, The Problem of Counterfeits and some more recent productions Identification of counterfeits, crucial can be identified on the basis of for an understanding of the variant modern technological socio-economic significance of practices or artificial patinations. coinage, is a severe obstacle not But unsuspected forgeries pose great only in American Museum problems for most museum collections but for the field of collections in the United States and Chinese numismatics as a whole. abroad. Tourist shops commonly Reasons for the difficulties are offer sets of forgeries to the unwary, manifold. First, Chinese traditional promoters sometimes use "replicas" coinages are all cast, as is also of curious old coins for their normal for the forgeries. Second, entertainment value, while many of the authentic series were numismatic dealers frequently offer produced by local or unofficial mints counterfeits to their clientele. in which standards of production varied greatly. Third, during periods Traditional Chinese references have of economic upheaval, counterfeits been illustrated by coin rubbings, proliferated, and were often tolerated which alone cannot distinguish the even though the penalty for the counterfeits from their genuine crime routinely was beheading (in counterparts; nor, in most cases, can actual practice, apprehended photographs suffice to do this either. counterfeiters were evidently The standard references by forced to work in government Lacouperie, Lockhart and Coole are minting operations, at least under rife with unidentified forgeries. the Manchus, presumably refining Publications of comprehensive their skills in the process). Fourth, analytical studies and dissemination the general Chinese attitude toward of high-quality digital images are counterfeits among collectors has badly needed. Determination of been much less obdurate than that authenticity is often quite difficult, found among western scholars. Such and the only way to control the pieces are considered both as counterfeits is through a massive collectors' items and as material international effort to identify and suitable for study. The gradation condemn them. between counterfeit and 'fantasy' issues is blurred, and certain coins Sadly, a recent trend has been in the have enjoyed a kind of talismanic other direction. Some Chinese hobby status for centuries. and numismatic publications have offered advertisements for a Pieces intended to fool numismatic collection of 4,819 different cast collectors have been made for a reproductions of historical cast great many years, and the practice Chinese coins in their original sizes, would seem to have escalated with promoted as "The Complete the advent of the ignorant Collection of Chinese Ancient westerners in the 19th and 20th Coins." These pieces range from the centuries. This nefarious activity has spade and knife coins to the last of become especially pernicious as the the Qing issues (1911). These are collector values of many coins have being produced by the Chengdu increased significantly in the Ancient Culture Development

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Corporation, supervised by the China Conclusion Historical Museum. It has been We have summarily reviewed a stated that they proposed to issue number of American museum 4,000 sets of these forgeries collections of Chinese numismatic (19,276,000 coins!). There are, materials, noted the sources of reportedly two well-known these holdings and looked at some consultants to this project: Professor aspects of current activities and Yu Weizhao, chief of the China future directions. Numismatics can Historical Museum; and Professor Li benefit greatly from the possibilities Xuejin, chief of the History Research offered by the computer age, and Centre of the Chinese Institute of Chinese coins and other items are no Social Science, vice-president of the exception. In the United States, China Numismatic Society and there are substantial collections, chairman of the Society's academic although awareness of them by the committee. One might ask, who public is not widespread and their would pay the asking price to significance is reduced by the foreigners of US$18,500.00 other presence of many forgeries. than someone of criminal intent? Eventually, we may look to the Probably this "project" will have 'virtual museum' of the world's misfired, but the potential release of collections on-line to give these this vast quantity of new forgeries is materials the cultural relevance frightening.19 they deserve. Most American Museums are currently working to create computer catalogues of their collections.

END NOTES

1. Three Character Classics, translated by S.T. Phen, : EPB Publishers Pty. Ltd. (1989)

2. Terrien de Lacouperle. M.A., Catalogue of Chinese Coins from the VIIth . BC, to A.D. 621, including the series in the British Museum, London, by of the Trustees (1892); "Ramsdeniana", The Coin Collectors Journal, Vol. VIII. (1941), p.76.

3. Bates, Michael L, Resources for Chinese Numismatics in the American Numismatic Society, (New York: American Numismatic Society, 1998); Smith, Bruce W., "50 Famous Collections", in Journal, Vol. 1, No.1, nd. (1974), p.44-5, Wang Yu-Ch'uan, Early Chinese Coinage, Numismatic Notes and Monographs, No. 122, (New York: American Numismatic Society, 1951).

4. Coole, Arthur Braddan, assisted by Hitoshi Kozono and Howard F. Bowker, An Encyclopaedia of Chinese Coins, Vol. 1, ‘A Bibliography on Far Eastern Numismatology and a Coin Index’ (Denver, Arthur Braddan Coole, 1967); the other six volumes of Coole's encyclopaedic project, also self-published, were based primarily upon this collection of reference material as well as upon the author's own outstanding personal collection of numismatic specimens, sold to obtain the funds for publication of the encyclopaedia.

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5. Smith, Bruce W., loc.cit., p. 42-3; Lockhart, James Haldane Stewart, The Currency of the Far East from the Earliest Times up to the Present Day (, Noronha & Co., 1895,1907); American Journal Of Numismatics, Vol.XXXII, No. 1, (1897), Note. p.11-12; Mudd, Douglas, personal communication (1998). 6. Bronson, Bennet, personal communication (1998).

7. Smith, op. cit., Part II, Vol. 1, No. 2, n.d. (1975?), p.63.

8. Richardson, James B., III, personal communication (1998).

9. Bischoff, William L., personal communication (1998); Buck, Rebecca, personal communication (1998).

10. Antonoccio, Carla, personal communication (1998); Charles, Douglas, personal communication (1998).

11. Doty, Richard O., personal communication (1998); Smith, Bruce W., personal communication (1998).

12. Bates, op.cit.; Fisher, George A., Jr., Fisher's Ding, or Ding Fubao's catalog of old-Chinese cast coinage selectively translated and annotated, with coin numbering, modern pricing, an index, a cross-reference to Schjoth's catalog, transliteration conversion tables, Manchu writing examples, a list of mints etc. (Littleton. CO: George A. Fisher Jr., 1990).

13. Coole, op. cit.

14. Smith. Bruce W., The Thomas Henry Coole Collection at Baker University, n.d. (1986). unpublished ms. on file in ANA Museum.

15. Schloth, Christian Fredrik Wvller, Chinese Currency (Currency of the Far East), (lola, WI: Krause Publications, 1965, 3rd Ed.) (Ist Ed. published in Great Britain, 1929).

16. Wegner, Marlowe E., transcription of interview with Terry L. Shoptaugh, Northwest Minnesota Historical Center, Moorhead State University, Moorhead, MN (1990), on file in ANA Museum; Wegner, Christopher, personal communication (1998); Coole. op. cit.

17. Coole, op. cit

18. Fisher, op. cit.; Schjoth, op. cit.

19. Fisher, George A., Jr., "The Complete Collection of Chinese Ancient Coins", or Dangerous Counterfeits of All Chinese Cash Coins, unpublished Ms. presented at ANS Workshop, New York (1998), on file in ANA Museum.

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