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1 Cash - Xiangfu Yuanbao, Zinc imitation
| Issuer | Malay peninsula |
|---|---|
| Year | |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | Log in to see details |
| Currency | Log in to see details |
| Composition | Zinc |
| Weight | Log in to see details |
| Diameter | Log in to see details |
| Thickness | Log in to see details |
| Shape | Log in to see details |
| Technique | Log in to see details |
| Orientation | Log in to see details |
| Engraver(s) | Log in to see details |
| In circulation to | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Chinese (traditional, regular script) |
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | The reverse field is dominated by two Manchu script characters flanking the central square hole, each placed to the left and right and read vertically, forming the mint mark 'Boo-yūn' (寶源, the Board of Revenue mint designation). The Manchu glyphs are cast in moderate relief against a plain, undecorated field, with no rim embellishment. The surface exhibits the same grey-blue zinc patination as the obverse, consistent with a locally produced imitation casting. |
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| Reverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Edge | Log in to see details |
| Mint | Log in to see details |
| Mintage | Log in to see details |
| Additional information |
These zinc imitations of the Northern Song Xiangfu Yuanbao cash circulated across the Malay peninsula and Indonesian archipelago as trade tokens, filling a chronic small-denomination void that neither Dutch colonial authorities nor local Malay states adequately addressed. The originals were cast in China during the Xiangfu reign period (1008–1016), but the imitations — struck or cast locally over subsequent centuries — bear no allegiance to that date.
Zinc distinguishes them immediately from Chinese prototypes, which were cast in bronze.