Ming dynasty coins in North America

[Yang Hao]

Recently there was a post about an early Qing dynasty coin found on a beach in San Diego while metal detecting.

http://www.treasurenet.com/forums/what/651258-my-turn-chinese-coin-i-d.html

After seeing that excellent find, I started researching for an even earlier Chinese Dynasty coin discovery in North America.

First is a post on this site from 2008. The Ming coin (the dynasty before Qing) was a banner find as well. The coin thread has 11 pages however there were questions regarding its authenticity.

http://www.treasurenet.com/forums/t...st-coin-date-1408-1424-d-update-new-pics.html


In 1993 a Ming Dynasty coin was discovered near the border of Alaska and the Yukon.

This find is documented in the following PDF link below. The photos about this find are from that pdf.

Alaska Journal of Anthropology vol. 10, nos. 1&2 (2012)
http://www.alaskaanthropology.org/w...icles_385_v10_n12_Mooney-Kristensen-Walde.pdf

The coin is a 永樂通寶 Yongle Tongbao which would have been minted between 1408-1424.




It was discovered by Keary Walde of Heritage North Consulting Ltd. According to the research on page 84 of the PDF It was "unlikely (but not impossible) that this coin arrived in the Yukon earlier than the first Russian posts in the late 1700s."

The document goes on to explain the coin may have been brought by a Chinese Prospector looking for gold or by a miner for the gambling game called fan-tan 番摊.

Happy hunting!

 

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[xr7ator]

The chinese laborer's must have brought them over by the barrel full as they seem to be found everywhere.

 

[unclemac]

they are found up and down the Pacific coast. Chinese immigration really took off fast in the 1850's.

 

[cudamark]

Yes, we find quite a few 1800's and even 1700's coins from China, but, how many mid 1600's and earlier ones have been found? Let's see some posted here.

 

[Yang Hao]

Yes, we find quite a few 1800's and even 1700's coins from China, but, how many mid 1600's and earlier ones have been found? Let's see some posted here.

Yes that is very true. The coin you found is Early Qing Dynasty. It's Qing Dynasty's 3rd emperor Shunzhi and was minted between 1638-1661.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_emperors_of_the_Qing_dynasty#List_of_emperors

Going by tnet's posts of Chinese cash coins found in North America, most come from the Qianlong and Jiaqing emperors' reign (Emperor 6 and 7). A most recent example in link below.

http://www.treasurenet.com/forums/coins/651678-foreign-coins-need-i-d.html

From the PDF in my first post, Alaska and Yukon found Qing dynasty coins but they were Kangxi and Yongzheng coins (Emperor 4 and 5).

Your coin seems to be one of the earliest Qing Dynasty coin found so far in North America. Furthermore, it looks to be a rare chinese cash coin to find in NA (unlike Qianlong/Jiaqing for example). Therefore, I nominated it as a banner.

 

[Noah_D]

Interesting post. I've been reading through your link to the Alaska Journal of Anthropology and I'm very much enjoying it.