The title of the display is also a clever variation of the term “scholar’s studio”, which is often used for exhibitions and books featuring Chinese art, calligraphy, brushes, inkstones, books, rubbings and so on. It traces the emergence of science as a requirement of research among private collectors, and discusses the relationship between collectors’ taste and scholarly historical reflection.” This study seeks to determine how the social network of collectors contributed to the very significant advances made during this period. By examining the correspondence among members of this circle, and the exchanges (sales and gifts) among collectors in the capital, it is possible to understand the extent to which informal exchanges contributed to the development of scholarly criteria in Chinese numismatics, and to unprecedented advances in the field. The most representative work of this period is Li Zuoxian’s Guquanhui 李佐贤:《古泉汇》, published in 1864, which brought together the collections and ideas of a community of collectors who corresponded regularly, exchanged coins, rubbings and books, and met from time to time. Applying the methodology of evidential scholarship ( kaozhengxue 考证学), they brought about a methodological revolution in the field of numismatics. Following the publication of the Qinding qianlu 欽定錢錄 in 1751, numerous collectors developed an interest in coins and published catalogues, monographs and scholarly studies. “The period from the end of the 18th to the first half of the 19th century was a golden age in Chinese numismatics. I’ve made a quick translation of the abstract below: The title “Chinese Coins from a Scholar’s Study” reflects Lyce’s research into the history and context of collecting, including her PhD “Les cercles de collectionneurs et de numismates dans la région de Pékin durant la première moitié du XIXème siècle” (2012). 20, No.26 (June 25, 2017), Article 22 – and a shorter notice in Coins Weekly (15 June 2017). There is an informative, and well illustrated piece – Chinese Coins from a Scholar’s Study – written by Lyce for The E-sylum, vol. Grading services and auction houses similarly offer their services to honor the market for these pieces while noting their status as fantasies.īut as Kann wrote, “The compiler of this catalog will not assume any liability for having presented his bona fide views, leaving it to the individual collector to agree - or disagree - with him.Chinese Coins from a Scholar’s Study (source: Coins Weekly)Ĭurated by Dr Lyce Jankowski, it draws on the superb collection of East Asian money in the Heberden Coin Room at the Ashmolean Museum. Opinions differ as to the collectibility of the myriad fantasy pieces, but Kann and other resources catalog them to alert collectors to their existence. “In the course of decades these privately manufactured round metal discs have found their way into the United States, having been brought in by tourists, soldiers and sailors who had passed through Chinese ports.” The fantasy is not a true fake, as it does not replicate a known genuine issue.Įduard Kann, in Illustrated Catalog of Chinese Coins: Gold, Silver, Nickel & Aluminum, classifies this piece as Kann B92.įantasy coins of Chinese vintage feature “decorative imagery, supplemented by whimsical inscriptions” and were designed and struck privately by people working “underground,” according to Kann. The undated piece features a facing bust wearing a small hat on the obverse, and dragons around a symbol on the reverse. The piece is graded Mint State 63 by Numismatic Guaranty Corp., and purportedly shows Chinese emperor Kuang Hsü, who reigned from 1875 to 1908.
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