Item number: A3274

Year: AD 1994

Material: Cupronickel

Size: 21.5 x 21.5 x 1.3 mm

Weight: 3.85 g

Provenance: Spink 2023

This is a 100 Tögrög coin issued in AD 1994 by Mongolia. The coin is composed of cupronickel.

The obverse of the coin is encircled by a serrated rim. At the centre is the Soyombo, the national emblem of Mongolia. Flanking the Soyombo on both sides is the traditional Mongolian script “ᠮᠤᠩᠭᠤᠯ ᠤᠯᠤᠰ”, which translates to “Mongol Uls” or “State of Mongolia.” This script was reinstated for official and symbolic use following Mongolia’s democratisation in the 1990s. Beneath the Soyombo, the year of issue is also inscribed in traditional Mongolian numerals as “᠑ ᠙ ᠙ ᠔ ᠣᠨ”, corresponding to AD 1994 in the Gregorian calendar.

The building depicted on the reverse of the coin is Gandan Monastery, the oldest and most well-preserved Tibetan Buddhist monastery in Mongolia, located in the capital city of Ulaanbaatar. Tibetan Buddhism took root on the Mongolian Plateau around the 16th century, eventually becoming the dominant religion among the Mongolian people.

Gandan Monastery was completed in AD 1809 and served as a vital centre for the study of Buddhist scriptures. However, during the 1930s, under the rule of communist leader Khorloogiin Choibalsan, who emulated Joseph Stalin’s Great Purge, many monasteries across Mongolia were destroyed, and thousands of lamas were executed. Gandan Monastery was the only major monastery spared, though all of its resident monks were forcibly expelled. It was not until AD 1994, after Mongolia’s transition to democracy, that the monastery was fully reopened and restored to active religious use.

Above the depiction of the monastery is the inscription “МОНГОЛ БАНК” (Mongol Bank) in Cyrillic script, while the lower edge bears the coin’s denomination: “100 ТӨГРӨГ” (100 Tögrög).

In AD 1989, as a member of the communist bloc, Mongolia was influenced by the reform movements initiated by Mikhail Gorbachev in the Soviet Union. This sparked calls for political and economic reform within the country. On December 10, AD 1989, public demonstrations erupted in Sükhbaatar Square in the capital, Ulaanbaatar, with citizens demanding reform from the ruling Mongolian People’s Revolutionary Party (MPRP).

The protests continued until March 9, AD 1990, prompting the ruling party to adopt a new constitution in May of that year, officially lifting the ban on opposition parties. In AD 1992, a new constitution was enacted, transforming the Mongolian People’s Republic into simply Mongolia, thus formally ending nearly seven decades of communist rule.

物件編號: A3274

年代: 公元 1994 年

材質: 白銅

尺寸: 21.5 x 21.5 x 1.3 mm

重量: 3.85 g

來源: 斯賓克拍賣行 2023

這是一枚公元1994年，蒙古國發行的面額100圖格里克，材質為白銅。

錢幣正面的周圍以鋸齒狀齒邊環繞，正中央的圖騰為蒙古的國家象徵「索永布」。索永布兩側是蒙古在90年代民主化之後，重新恢復使用的傳統蒙文「ᠮᠤᠩᠭᠤᠯ ᠤᠯᠤᠰ」意思是「蒙古國」。索永布下緣也以傳統蒙文標示發行的公元紀年「᠑ ᠙ ᠙ ᠔ ᠣᠨ」(1994)。

錢幣背面的建築物是坐落於首都烏蘭巴托，蒙古境內歷史最悠久和完整的藏傳佛教寺廟「甘丹寺」。藏傳佛教大概在公元16世紀，在蒙古高原扎根成為蒙古人的主流信仰。甘丹寺竣工於公元1809年，作為學習佛教經典的重要場所。上世紀30年代，蒙古的共產領袖喬巴山師法史達林的「大清洗」恐怖政策，大肆處決喇嘛和破壞各地的佛寺，甘丹寺成為唯一倖免於難的佛寺，但是喇嘛都被強制驅離，直到公元1994年，蒙古民主化之後，才又重新開放。

甘丹寺的上緣以西里爾蒙文標示「МОНГОЛ БАНК」(蒙古銀行)，下緣則是面額「100 ТӨГРӨГ」(100圖格里克)。

公元1989年，作為共產主義陣營一員的蒙古也受到蘇聯戈巴契夫改革影響，國內也開始出現進行政治和經濟改革的聲音。公元1989年12月10日，首都烏蘭巴托的蘇赫巴托廣場上出現群眾示威，呼籲執政黨蒙古人民黨進行改革。示威抗議持續到隔年3月9日，執政黨於當年5月通過新憲法正式解除黨禁。公元1992年更宣布新憲法，將蒙古人民共和國改制為蒙古國，結束蒙古將近七十年的共產制度。