Item number: A2623

Year: AD 1206-1260

Material: Silver

Size: 22.0 x 20.0 x 1.9 mm

Weight: 3.7 g

Provenance:

1. Spink 2023

2. Dr. Werner Burger

This coin, made of silver and inscribed with the legend “Da Chao Tong Bao” (Currency of the Great Court), is believed to have been cast in the period before the renaming of the Great Mongol State to the Yuan dynasty, when it referred to itself in Chinese as “Da Chao” (Great Court) in the Central Plains.

The obverse of the coin features an outer rim and an inner border, with the inscription “Da Chao Tong Bao” written in regular script, read top-bottom, right-left. The calligraphy approximates the slender gold style and appears to have been modelled after, or directly cast from, Song or Jin dynasty coinage moulds. In particular, the characters “Da,” “Tong,” and “Bao” closely imitate those found on Jin dynasty coins bearing the inscription “Da Ding Tong Bao.” The character “Chao” is more restrained in form and suffers from blurring and indistinctness.

The reverse also seems to bear an outer rim and inner border, although signs of wear and damage are present. It is suspected that the coin was clipped for the silver content, which may explain the partial removal of the rim. To the left of the square hole is an added countermark, one part of which resembles the Chinese character “田” (field). According to other excavated examples of “Da Chao Tong Bao,” such countermarks are often tribal emblems or royal tamga (𐱃𐰢𐰍𐰀) used by Mongol nobles or clans. Coins bearing the tamga of Möngke Khan have also been unearthed.

The term “Da Chao” has historically been used in Chinese from the Tang and Song dynasties onwards as an honorific designation for a sovereign state, either as a self-aggrandising title or in deference to a suzerain power. Numerous excavated steles and artefacts indicate that, under Mongol rule and prior to the establishment of the Yuan dynasty, Han Chinese residents or Chinese-language users frequently referred to their own state as “Da Chao Guo” (State of the Great Court). This usage coexisted with the Mongolian designation “Yehe Monggol Ulus” (Great Mongol State), rendered in Chinese as “Ye ke Meng gu wu lu si.” The Mongol state officially adopted this title either from the convening of the kurultai at the Onon River in AD 1206, or from the regency of Tolui following the death of Chinggis Khan in AD 1227.

The Mongol Empire preserved the local cultures, political systems, and monetary policies of its various regions. For example, dinars continued to be minted in Persia, while in the Chinese-speaking regions, coins such as the “Da Chao Tong Bao” were cast. The circulation of “Da Chao Tong Bao” coins appears to have been limited, with the continued use of Song and Jin dynasty coinage predominating. As these coins have often been discovered at Buddhist temples and ancient monastic sites, some scholars hypothesise that they may have served as ritual or votive offerings rather than as general currency.

In AD 1260, Kublai Khan issued the “Zhongtong Tongbao” coinage, and in AD 1271 he formally renamed the dynasty as Yuan. The minting of “Da Chao Tong Bao” coins likely ceased around this time.

This piece originates from the former collection of Dr. Werner Burger (AD 1936–2021), a renowned German numismatist widely recognised as a pioneer in the study of Qing dynasty coinage within Western academia. He was the first Western scholar to receive a doctorate in Sinology from the People’s Republic of China, possessing a high level of proficiency in Chinese and the ability to engage deeply with Qing-era archival sources. His academic reputation was firmly established with the publication of “Ch’ing Cash” in AD 1976, a work that systematically catalogued the minting data of various Qing mints. The book provided detailed analyses of the weight, script, and circulation of coins, exerting a profound influence on the study of China’s monetary system and economic history. Emphasising the integration of material evidence and documentary sources, he introduced modern scholarly standards to the field of Chinese numismatics.

物件編號: A2623

年代: 公元 1206-1260 年

材質: 銀

尺寸: 22.0 x 20.0 x 1.9 mm

重量: 3.7 g

來源:

1. 斯賓克拍賣行 2023

2. 布威納博士舊藏

此錢為銀質「大朝通寶」，應為大蒙古國改稱元以前，於漢地自稱「大朝」時所鑄。

錢面具外輪內廓，錢文「大朝通寶」楷書對讀，近瘦金體，當模倣或直接由宋、金之錢翻砂而來，尤其「大、通、寶」三字，基本為模仿金國「大定通寶」之錢文。「朝」字則較拘謹，漫漶不清。

錢背亦似具外輪內廓，疑遭磨挫，錢輪亦疑遭剪鑿，取銀獲利。方穿左側有一加砸字符，字符之一部類似漢字「田」字。按其他出土之大朝通寶，加砸字符多為蒙古王族、各部族徽記(古突厥語：𐱃𐰢𐰍𐰀, tamga)，曾有具蒙哥汗徽記之大朝通寶出土。

「大朝」一詞自唐、宋以來皆為國家尊稱，或為自尊大國，或為尊宗主國。而從諸多出土碑記、文物來看，蒙古帝國治下，改國號為元以前的漢地居民或漢文使用者，常稱自國為「大朝國」。與「ᠶᠡᠬᠡ ᠮᠣᠩᠭᠣᠯ ᠤᠯᠤᠰ」(Yehe Monggol Ulus，漢譯也克蒙古兀魯思)，意即「大蒙古國」並行。而蒙古官方以此自稱，或自鄂嫩河召開忽里勒台始(公元1206年)，或自成吉思汗崩後，拖雷監國始(公元1227年)。

蒙古帝國於其所轄各地續行各地方文化、政制，幣制亦然，如波斯地區續鑄第納爾等，於漢地則鑄大朝通寶等錢。大朝通寶鑄行不多，主要以行用宋、金就錢為主。因多於佛寺、古剎等地發現，少數學者疑大朝通寶為獻納寺觀之供養錢。

公元1260年，忽必烈鑄中統通寶，公元1271年改國號為元，大朝通寶大約於此時停鑄。

該藏品源自布威納博士(Dr. Werner Burger) (AD 1936–2021)舊藏，其為德國著名的錢幣學家，被譽為西方研究清代中國錢幣制度的先驅。他是第一位在中華人民共和國獲得漢學博士學位的西方學者，精通漢語並能深入閱讀清代原始檔案。他以1976年出版的《清錢》(Ch’ing Cash)一書奠定了其在學界的地位，該書系統整理了清代各錢局的鑄幣資料，對錢幣的重量、字體、流通情況等進行詳盡分析，對中國貨幣制度與經濟史研究具有深遠影響。他強調結合實物與文獻的考證方法，為中國錢幣學帶來現代學術標準。