In costume TV dramas, we often see some scenes, such as someone using a silver ingot to buy something, or someone using a bag of silver ingots to give a reward. These silver ingots are all white-flowered, shiny, and look very valuable. But, you know what? These silver ingots are actually fake, or rather embellished. The real ancient silver is not like this at all, but the surface is covered with tooth marks and dirt, which looks very dirty, and even some people will dislike it.
So, why did ancient silver look like this? This is because the way ancient silver was made and circulated was very different from modern money. Ancient silver mainly refers to the use of silver as a material, cast into a certain shape and weight of money, with the function of a value scale and means of circulation. There are many types of silver in ancient times, such as silver ingots, silver taels, silver tickets, silver dollars, etc., the most common of which is silver ingots, which is what we often call silver ingots.
The shape of silver ingots is generally a boat shape with two ends upturned and a convex middle, and some are rectangular or round. The weight of silver ingots is generally measured in taels, and one tael is about 37.5 grams. The purity of silver ingots is generally measured in feet, which is about 99.9% per foot. Silver ingots are usually made by silversmiths or silver trumpeters, who melt the silver into a liquid, pour it into a mold, and cool it to become a silver ingot. The circulation of silver ingots was generally used by merchants or ordinary people, who would cut the silver ingots into broken silver or weigh them with scales as needed to trade.
Due to the way ancient silver was made and circulated, the surface of ancient silver was very uneven and unclean. First of all, there is no modern technology and standards for the production of silver in ancient times, and the shape and weight of silver ingots are not very standardized, some are even crooked, and some have bubbles or cracks. Secondly, the circulation of ancient silver, without modern protection and management, silver ingots will be constantly cut and weighed in the process of use, and the surface will leave knife marks and scale marks. Thirdly, in order to distinguish the authenticity and purity of silver, people will bite with their teeth or burn it with fire, and the surface will leave tooth marks and fire marks. Finally, the preservation of ancient silver, without modern environment and facilities, silver ingots will be eroded by air and water during the storage process, and oxides and dirt will be formed on the surface.
For these reasons, the surface of the ancient silver has become very rough and dirty, which is in great contrast with the silver ingots of white flowers that we see in the TV series. Although this kind of silver still has a certain value, it has no beauty, and some people even dislike it. This is what the silver of ancient times really looked like, not in vain, but in black.
The true appearance of ancient silver, although not very pretty, has its historical value and cultural significance. It has witnessed the economic development and social changes of ancient China, it carries the commercial activities and folk customs of ancient China, and it reflects the aesthetics and values of ancient China. It is an important cultural heritage of ancient China, which is worthy of our cherishing and inheritance.