EMPIRE OF CHINA - QING (CH’ING) OR MANCHU DYNASTY (1644-1912)
KUNMIN, YUNNAN PROVINCE - HSIEN FENG (1851-1862) OR TONG ZI PERIOD (1862-1874)
SYCEE PROVINCIAL TWO STAMP (YUNNAN LIANGCHUO KEDING); ALSO CALLED SI CHAO (STONE GROOVE "GROOVED SILVER") MONEY
RARE 3.75 TAELS SILVER TDOUBLE-STAMPED STAMPED SALT TAX INGOT RECTANGULAR BAR
THE FIRST CHINESE SYCEE (WHICH COMES FROM THE CHINESE WORD FOR "FINE" OR "SMALL SILK" AND MEANS "FINE SILVER") INGOTS ARE DATED BY SOME SCHOLARS TO THE MONGOL (YUAN) DYNASTY (1279-1368 AD) OR EARLIER. THEY WERE MADE BY BANKS AND PRIVATE FIRMS AND USED TO FACILITATE THE STORAGE OF SILVER BY THE WEALTHY. THEY WERE ALSO USED TO PAY TAX DEBT. OFFICIAL ASSAYERS WOULD OFTEN STAMP THE INGOTS TO VERIFY THEIR QUALITY. DURING THE 19th AND EARLY 20th CENTURIES, EUROPEAN TRADE WITH CHINA REVITALIZED TRADE IN SYCEE, BUT SYCEE PRODUCTION WAS EVENTUALLY BANNED BY THE REPUBLICAN GOVERNMENT.
THE CHARACTERISTIC AND DIVERSE SYCEE SHAPES WERE DISTINCT AND PECULIAR TO REGION, AND DEPENDED ON THE MOLD, STAMPING AND CUTTING OF THE INGOT, EACH TYPE BEING STANDARDIZED ACCORDING TO WEIGHT MEASURED IN TAELS.
THIS TYPE OF SYCEE FROM YUNNAN. CHARACTERIZED BY ITS RECTANGULAR SHAPE AND THE DOUBLE-STAMP TROUGHS ON ITS FACE, THIS PROVINCIAL SYCEE WAS USED AS TAX SILVER AND WAS REFINED FROM LOCAL MINERALS. THERE WERE ALSO ONE AND THREE STAMP VARIETIES, BUT THE DOUBLE-STAMPS ARE RARER AND DUE TO GOVERNMENTAL RESTRICTIONS WAS OF A GREATER PURITY. THIS INGOT IS OF A STYLE FROM IN OR AROUND KUNMIN AND DIFFERS FROM THAT OF THOSE FOUND IN WESTERN YUNNAN.
AN OFFICIAL OF THE CENTRAL GOVERNMENT NAMED MA DUANG LIN, IN NINTH YEAR OF THE REIGN OF CHIEN LUNG OR QIANLONG (1735-1796), DESCRIBED THIS TYPE OF SYCEE INGOT BEING CIRCULATED IN THE PROVINCE. THIS PARTICULAR INGOT IS CHARACTERISTIC OF THOSE PRODUCED DURING THE REIGNS OF BOTH EMPEROR XIANFENG (HSIEN-FENG) AND EMPEROR TONGZHI (TONG-ZI). STAMPED "ZAO ZHAO (CHAOCHO)".
3.75 TAEL SYCEE CONTAINS 137.23 GRAMS OF .960+ FINE SILVER (4.2360+ OZS ASW)
42 MM IN LENGTH 30 MM IN WIDTH AND 13 MM IN DEPTH
