Catalog
1 Cash - Xianping Yuanbao, Tin imitation
| Issuer | Malay peninsula |
|---|---|
| Year | |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | Log in to see details |
| Currency | Log in to see details |
| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Diameter | 22.89 mm |
| Thickness | Log in to see details |
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| 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 | Log in to see details |
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | Plain, featureless reverse with a central square perforation aligned with the obverse. The broad, flat field between the square hole and the outer rim is entirely blank and undecorated, as is typical of Song-type cash coin imitations produced on the Malay peninsula. The surface displays a coarse, pitted texture with grey-green patina resulting from tin oxidation and age. |
| Reverse script | Log in to see details |
| Reverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Edge | Log in to see details |
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| Mintage | ND |
| Additional information |
These tin cash pieces were produced by local Chinese merchant communities across the Malay peninsula as a practical solution to chronic small-change shortages, filling a gap that neither the colonial administrations nor distant imperial mints addressed. The Song dynasty prototype — the Xianfeng Yuanbao struck under Emperor Zhenzong from 998 AD — lent the design enough recognizable authority to circulate among communities that trusted the form even when the issuing hand was purely local and commercial.
Tin was the obvious material: the peninsula had it in abundance, and smelting it required no sophisticated infrastructure.