Robert W. Hoge Chinese Numismatics in American Museums
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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 Downloaded from: www.icomon.org 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 Coins 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. China, 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 money 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 "cash" 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 United States in connection with the not received anything like the labour opportunities provided by attention commonly given to American gold-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 53 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 Bronze Age), with in China. These were educated a genuine lack of pre-Qin 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 coin 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 numismatists 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 Zhou Dynasty; 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 British Museum - Pre-Qin dynasty round coins, (1892), and by the writings of generally with round central Henry A. Ramsden, a Briton resident holes; in Japan.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 Wang Mang, AD 7-22; China although large numbers were - Scarce "Three Kingdoms" and presumably found in the course of other issues contemporaneous public works projects. In the 1970s, with the wu zhu 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. 54 subsequent issues, from AD some 29,619 Chinese numismatic 618; objects of all kinds were listed on - Standard currency issues from the ANS' computer database. The the Song Dynasty 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 mint; Eric N. Baynes, donated his - Occasional issues of iron 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 knife money and the earliest round Yuan and especially the Ming coins. The ANS also possesses an Dynasties; outstanding library of oriental - Voluminous western-style paper reference works and unpublished issues from the 19th century manuscripts. In February 1998, the onward; ANS hosted a "Chinese Cast Coin - Silver-bullion ingots, the locally Workshop", at which ANA museum issued "sycee" 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 Korea and Vietnam, and (6,000+ pieces). perhaps Indonesia - 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 New York (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, 55 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.