Early 1800s Qing dynasty cash coin

[TrpnBils]

Thanks to Don for the initial ID!

An interesting find today in Berkeley County, WV at the site of a home built in the 1790s. It's a Chinese cash coin. From what I've been able to find, the character to the right of the hole on the right-hand picture there shows that it was minted in the Qing dynasty between 1644 and 1911. The character on the right side of the left picture apparently shows that it was minted in Baoding, Zhili Providence, China between 1821 and 1823. This would have been minted during the time when Emperor Xuan Zong was in power and silver was being exported because of the new trade in opium. At that point, coin production was tied to a silver standard and was being devalued because of the export of silver, and these bronze coins cost more to make than what they were worth.

 

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[against the wind]

Cool coin,, sounds like today's USA penny.
It costs to make than it is worth.

 

[Engineer in MD]

Nice find! But it makes you wonder how that coin, minted in China, made its way to West Virginia, got lost, and then was dug up by you. Oh how I wish they could tell their stories...

 

[vpnavy]

Nice find TrpnBils and enjoyed your history research!

 

[TrpnBils]

Cool coin,, sounds like today's USA penny.
It costs to make than it is worth.

Yep - that's what I thought too!

Nice find! But it makes you wonder how that coin, minted in China, made its way to West Virginia, got lost, and then was dug up by you. Oh how I wish they could tell their stories...

I'm assuming day laborers or something like that. This house was built by slaves and they lived on the property (the owner even has a copy of a letter telling about when (then) Virginia officials contacted him to tell him slaves had to be freed). It isn't much of a stretch to assume day laborers then filled the work positions for little money.

 

[trapperart]

Congrats

 

[Professor of Engineering]

Congratulations on the interesting find!