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Reference for Chinese Tael Sycee-type "coins"
TwoKopeiki
Posts: 9,540 ✭✭✭✭✭
I've always been fascinated with these boat / kettledrum / packsaddle shaped silver ingots. Can anyone point to a good reference (preferably in English). I'm considering a side collection and these Taels are pretty damn cool.
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"A catalogue of sycee in the British Museum..." by Joe Cribb is supposed to be the standard work in English. Originally published 1992, but I think there is a newer edition. This book may be pricey, but sycee are pricey. I would love to have the book and some sycee, probably not gonna happen...
Run it through google, it should pop right up.
Holy High Priced Books Batman! I just googled the catalog and one can be yours for the low, low price of $804 from Amazon.
https://amazon.com/Catalogue-Sycee-British-Museum-c-1750-1933/dp/0714108731
A cool idea, but wow! Just a little bit new direction for you 2K! It will be fun seeing your photos
I was thinking it was a $200+ book. If anybody hits the bargain supply at that price, let me know.
Google images has some nice images, especially of early 20th Century "boat" sycee.
Well, I didn't look farther than Amazon. It could well be had for $200. That is a lot more palatable--and in line with more than one professional reference I've had to buy in years past. $800...
I call it "the eBay effect" - nowadays there are lots of sellers pricing at three or five times the top reasonable price for any given item. If they find a mark, they can catch up a few bills and still take the family out to supper. I had this problem on eBay this week, there was a decent coin replica (something that I will never be able to own as an original) that should have been no more than $150. It had five Troy ounces of silver in it. Seller wanted $380 to start, moved the price down to $300 over the course of several weeks. When I expressed a slight interest, he got scared that he was selling too cheap and ended the auction early. IMHO, portents/signs of a sickly economy and markets undergoing breakdown. The eBay effect.
Thank you for the responses. I will start by hunting down that catalog first.
8 Reales Madness Collection
Here's a nice collection of articles on these: http://www.charm.ru/library/syceelist.htm
8 Reales Madness Collection
Last night, I found that by typing in 'China Sycee' on Google Images, it returned many great photos of sycee and saddles and drums. It also showed pictures of three or four books that appeared recent, but they were apparently largely in Chinese.
I think this is a neat area, I cringe about the likelihood of modern reproductions.
I've been reading up and it's a fascinating area of collecting. Didn't quite realize how long sycee "coins" circulated and the number of types and varieties due to lack of standardization for many centuries (or millennia, since Wiki mentions the use as early as Qin Dynasty).
I am also weary of the counterfeits. Since these are custom moulds faking them would be relatively easy. Not sure how to avoid getting burned, except for relying on trusted sources. XRF would be one way to minimize the risk, but it would be looking for trace elements for both China and Colonial Spain mints, as it seems a lot of Spanish silver was melted in China starting in the late 16th Century.
8 Reales Madness Collection
FWIW: HA has many very nice pieces coming up for auction today through Friday (June 21-23)
--Severian the Lame