Source Xinhuanet client
Beijing, April 13 (Xinhuanet) -- Sheng Shixing Collection. In recent years, there have been more and more collectors, and the variety of collections has become more and more extensive. As a cultural carrier with rich information content, coins have a very important position in the history of the development of human civilization and have always been loved by many collectors. Duan Honggang, chairman of the Numismatic Professional Committee of the Chamber of Commerce for Folk Cultural Relics and Artworks of the All-China Federation of Industry and Commerce, was a guest of Xinhua Network a few days ago to tell how to inherit numismatic culture and tell the story of good collection.
Duan Honggang (right) at the inauguration ceremony of the Numismatic Professional Committee of the All-Union Chamber of Commerce for Folk Cultural Relics and Works of Art. (Courtesy of the interviewee)
Xinhua Net: As the first president of the Numismatic Professional Committee of the Chamber of Commerce for Folk Cultural Relics and Artworks of the All-China Federation of Industry and Commerce, please briefly introduce this organization.
Duan Honggang: The Numismatic Professional Committee of the All-Union Chamber of Commerce for Folk Cultural Relics and Artworks, founded on November 18, 2020, is a national second-level professional organization under the Chamber of Commerce for Folk Cultural Relics and Artworks of the All-China Federation of Industry and Commerce, and is also an exchange platform for publicizing numismatic culture, studying the history of numismatics, and prospering the numismatic circulation market.
The establishment of the Numismatic Professional Committee of the All-Union Chamber of Commerce for Folk Cultural Relics and Works of Art aims to promote and inherit numismatic culture by prospering the numismatic market, guiding the compliance construction in the circulation field, helping people explore the origin and development process of human civilization, promoting people to better understand the traditional culture of the Chinese nation, and more firmly establishing cultural self-confidence.
Xinhua Net: When it comes to coin collection, it is inevitable that numismatic culture is inseparable. How do you understand numismatic culture?
Duan Honggang: As one of the representative and excellent cultural and material heritage, "numismatics" is not only a simple form of money, but also a witness to the development of social history, and its historical and cultural characteristics are extremely distinct.
Ancient coins first sprouted during the Xia Dynasty on the mainland, when the form of coins was dominated by natural shell coins, until the middle and late Shang Dynasty appeared copper shell coins, which was the beginning of the world's metal coinage. In the middle of the Western Zhou Dynasty, as the bronze smelting technique gradually improved, minted coins gradually became the main body of coins. During the historical period of the Western Zhou Dynasty and the Pre-Qin Dynasty, the types of coins were varied and there was no unified norm. Each princely state minted coins according to its own conditions or historical traditions, which led to the emergence of a large number of ancient coins of various types, such as knife coins, cloth coins, ant-nose coins, and so on. After the Qin Dynasty unified the whole country, the numismatics were uniformly standardized and standardized, and the ancient coins finally had certain rules, forming a basic system of outer circles and inner squares.
Duan Honggang is studying ancient coins. (Courtesy of the interviewee)
Xinhua Net: Can you tell us about the relationship between numismatic culture and the ancient capital of Beijing?
Duan Honggang: Beijing was the boundary of the Yan kingdom during the Warring States period, and the most minted and circulated coins in the Yan kingdom were knife coins, and the coin body was minted with a "Ming" character, so most of the later generations called this knife-shaped coin "Ming Knife". This is the earliest local coin in Beijing with a history.
Later, there were the "Taihe Heavy Treasure" minted by the Jin Dynasty, the "Great Yuan Tongbao" minted in the Yuan Dynasty, the Tongbao of the various emperors of the Ming Dynasty, and the coinage of the Twelve Emperors of the Qing Dynasty, all of which were closely related to Beijing. Some of the coins of successive dynasties minted and issued in Beijing have unique shape and cultural characteristics. For example, the Yanguo "Ming Dao" just mentioned has an extremely rich variety of editions, and there are hundreds of text symbols on the coin. These marks cast on the knife-shaped coins must carry the mark of the times and the historical memory of the Warring States period. Looking forward to discovering more of the beauty of casting craftsmanship and the insights from the depths of history through later research and continuous exploration by collectors.
In addition, there are eight "Jingju Set Flowers" in the Qing Dynasty, which are folk coins designed and minted by the Hubu Minting Agency at that time with various good expectations. The cast words such as "Pray for Many Blessings", "Junming Chenliang", "The Most Happy for Good", "Reading Is Good", etc., are full of a strong atmosphere of the times. This was also the yearning for a better life for the country from the official to the people at that time, from the official to the people. All these are the precious spiritual and cultural heritage left by the ancient capital of Beijing in the history of coins.
Duan Honggang is studying ancient coins. (Courtesy of the interviewee)
Xinhua Net: Please tell netizens why people who are engaged in coin collection are called "Quanyou", and what should be paid attention to when collecting coins?
Duan Honggang: Calling coin collectors "quanyou" mainly comes from people's simple concept of wealth - hoping that in life, coins will flow like spring water. According to research, as early as the "Book of Han and Food Goods" has been compared to the numismatic analogy with the spring stream. In the late Western Han Dynasty, Wang Mang's regime directly minted the word "Quan" on coins as the official name of the coin. Therefore, coin and "spring coin" have become words with roughly similar connotations since the new Mang Dynasty. To this day, a tradition has gradually formed that enthusiasts engaged in coin collecting are called "Izumi friends".
Coin collection is generally out of hobby, in recent years, with the development of scientific and technological means, the advancement of network technology, especially the protection of third-party grading and appraisal agencies, so that many people can conveniently engage in coin collection transactions, promote circulation. The smooth circulation of coins not only satisfies people's love for coin collection, yearning for history and culture, but also enables some people to increase their income, so more and more people enter the field of coin collection.
But in this process, we still have to pay attention to some basic common sense and avoid some risks: first of all, we must believe in those who have been tested by the market, experts, learn more and consult more; secondly, we must choose the varieties that we like and meet our own aesthetic needs, gold coins, silver coins, copper dollars, paper money, silver ingots, etc. Have their own advantages, people's energy and financial resources are limited, they can't go far and wide to dabble in all kinds, and the results are not proficient; finally, they are able to do what they can, and they must engage in collection according to their own economic conditions. Do not affect the normal life of individuals and families, do not chase the rise and kill the fall when investing, and maintain a balanced mentality for the long term.