There was a hit drama, "Xiaobao and Lao Cai" starring Fan Wei and others, which showed the development history of an underground mint of the Soviet Bank in the Northern Ganbei region in the 1930s, similar to a comedy version of the "currency archive", which attracted the audience. The first currency produced by this underground mint was the now little-known "Soviet Yuan Datou."
1. "In 1931, the Kuomintang reactionaries carried out military encirclement and suppression and economic blockade of the Soviet areas, and the environment for the red regime's struggle against the enemy was very bad, and in order to meet the needs of the situation in the struggle against the enemy, the Red Army stamped the "Soviet" on the right side of Yuan Shikai's portrait on the old silver dollar of the republic of China's three-year 'Yuan Datou' captured from the local tycoons, which was used for my use to show the difference, to develop the economy of the revolutionary base areas, to ensure the supply of the Red Army and the construction of the Red regime. The Kuomintang had reforged many silver dollars covered with 'Soviets', so the 'Yuan Datou' stamped with 'Soviet' stamps was rare and had certain collection value. However, Chen Zanyao also pointed out that there are many fake stamps on the market that are fake on real coins, and as for whether the host said that this piece is true or false, he has to personally appreciate it to know.
From this, it can be seen that this claim that this silver coin is the currency issued by the Central Red Army is obviously more speculative than empirical.
2. Two Shanghainese forged in the 1930s
On March 19, 2005, the Nanjing Daily newspaper quoted the dictation of Mr. Zhou Dianyuan, a collector in Nanjing:
Happily, Mr. Zhou took out another silver dollar from his treasure to the reporter to enjoy. This silver dollar is not much different from the ordinary "Yuan Datou", except that the right side of the front is engraved with the word "Soviet". Mr. Zhou told reporters that this was also left by his father, and he had checked the relevant books and had no notes. He believed that this might have been the case of the early Soviet regime without the conditions for coinage, and that the engraving was also a type of red ocean. However, yesterday afternoon, the reporter asked a numismatic expert about the origin of this silver dollar, and his statement was shocking. He told reporters that this kind of stamped three-year "Yuan Datou" of the Republic of China was forged by two Shanghainese in the 1930s. The incident was a sensation in Shanghai Beach, when newspapers reported it. It turned out that the Soviet regime was very mysterious in the eyes of the people in the white areas, and at that time, some people began to collect the things of the Soviet regime, and the Red Ocean became a sought-after collection. In the mid-1930s, there was a Qilin coin company in Shanghai that engaged in coin trading, and the owners were Called Ping Yulin and Yang Chengqi. Ping Yulin saw that Hongyang was very popular, so he twisted his mind and asked a silver building to carve a rectangular "Soviet" steel stamp, selected the most ordinary Republic of China three-year "Yuan Datou", and printed the steel stamp on the right side of its front. In this way, the originally very ordinary "Yuan Datou" suddenly became a precious "Red Ocean", and his value increased greatly. At that time, The numismatic collectors in Shanghai, such as Geng Ede, Chen Rentao, and Shi Jiagan, were all blindfolded, and one by one they rushed to buy at high prices, and some of them flowed from Shanghai to other regions. Later, when the two were at odds, Yang Chengqi leaked out that Ping Yulin had forged Hongyang. The numismatic expert believes that Mr. Zhou's Yuan Datou with a Soviet stamp is obviously a fake red ocean flowing into the market.
This is a falsification of two Shanghainese, which seems absurd.
3. Issued in the revolutionary base areas of western Hunan and Hubei
Mr. Fang Yurui, a currency collector and expert in Shaowu, Fujian Province, wrote that this currency was issued by the revolutionary base area in western Hunan and Hubei:
This "Soviet Minzu Sanyuan Tou Silver Coin" (see Figures 1 and 2) in Shao Wu's private collection is, after examination, for the Xiang'exi Provincial Peasants' Bank of the Xiang'exi Provincial Soviet Government in 1931, using the republic of China's three-year (1914 AD) edition of the "Yuan Shikai Statue Silver Coin" re-minted clay silver coin, the minting is rougher than the original, and the right side of the Yuan statue is stamped with a vertical traditional "Soviet" three-character mark, which is limited to circulation in the Soviet area. Yuan Shikai is like a silver coin, also known as "Yuan Tou Coin", commonly known as "Yuan Datou". After the founding of the Republic of China, the Beijing government in December 1914, in the Tianjin Mint General Factory began to mint the national currency, the amount of minted is very large, it is said that a total of 800 million pieces; the minting period is very long, respectively, there are three, five, eight, nine, ten years of the Republic of China Yuan statue silver coins; circulation is extremely wide, the province and Foreign trade in the country. The coin has a side portrait of President Yuan Shikai on the obverse and the minting year "Three Years of the Republic of China", a Jiahe pattern on the back, and the word "One Circle" in the middle. According to the "National Currency Regulations" promulgated in 1914, it is stipulated that the diameter of the national currency is 3.9 centimeters, the weight is 7 cents and 2 cents (about 26.86 grams), the color is 90% (the actual color is 89.1%), and the silver content is 6 coins and 4 minutes and 8% of silver. The side teeth of the Minsan "Yuan Datou" one-yuan coin have ordinary teeth, eagle ocean edges (trial version), t-shaped edges (trial version); as well as yin and yang sides and signature models. Auxiliary coins include the middle circle (two pieces when one circle), the two corners, the one corner three kinds, and the nickel coin Wufen. The diameter, thickness, pattern, edge teeth, yuan statue, year number and text of the "Soviet Minzu Minsan Yuantou Silver Coin" are the same as the Minsan "Yuan Datou" one-round coin, but the three words "Soviet" are stamped, and the weight of the coin is about 26.4 grams, because it is a replica minting, coupled with years of wear and tear in circulation, so the coin is slightly lighter than the original coin.
The rarity of the coin is according to page 357 of the 1994 edition of the Catalogue of Chinese Silver Coins edited by Hua Guangpu: "Soviet Minzu Sanyuan tou coin, fifth grade, 5,000 yuan." According to the latest version of the 1998 edition of the Hero Compilation of "World Numismatic Catalogue", page 415, the market reference price is 6,000 yuan. But more important is the research value of historical relics, because the coin is a precious and rare revolutionary cultural relic, which can be passed on to future generations and educated future generations. The current market price should be around 50,000.
This statement is clear and well-founded.
(3) The production of the word "Soviet"
There are also many theories about how these three words are made:
1, casting said
Mr. Fang Yuhua identified it as the revolutionary base area in western Hunan and Hubei, which was cast according to the three-year silver dollar reproduction of the Republic of China. Although this statement is quite methodical, as if the evidence is conclusive, there is also an inevitable problem: the currency minted during the Red Army period is uneven in texture, the process is rough, and its minting level is limited, which is recognized, while the "Minsan" silver dollar, which has the word "Soviet", has a good texture and exquisite craftsmanship, which seems to be beyond the level of the Soviets at that time. As far as the "Shaowu version" (Figure 3) cited by Mr. Fang is concerned, the three words "Soviet" are indeed not cast. In the remaining editions, the words "Xianglou Antique Edition" (Fig. 9) and the Open Auction Edition (Fig. 2) appear to have been cast. If the words are recast, the Shaowu version is fake, while the other two are treasures. But these two silver coins are very new, without the slightest trace of rust, and are obviously suspected of being forged by contemporaries.
2, stamp said
Most people believe that the Red Army stamped the original "Yuan Datou" and stamped its own mark, making it the legal tender of the Soviet Zone. But it is rare to really stamp silver dollars. Of the thirteen above, only one is stamped, because the stamping requires a lot of force, the silver dollar has been seriously deformed, and it is estimated that the Red Army will not destroy the currency in this way. (See Figure 11)
3. Say it in a different way
Engrave the word "Soviet" on the silver dollar. With the exception of the above three exceptions, the remaining versions are engraved. I think that re-engraving is the best and easiest way to do it.
First, the casting process is demanding and the cost is also very large, and the Red Army is neither easy to master nor too wasteful.
Second, stamping is a loss to the currency, which is not the best policy.
Third, the engraving is both economical and beautiful, as long as there is a mature craftsman, you can re-engrave more than one piece a day. For the Red Army, it was a good and feasible approach.
At present, China's domestic postal coin card market is also common "Yuan Datou" silver coin for sale, the most three varieties on the market are minted in the republic of China for three years, nine years and ten years, which is a low-price potential variety in the old silver coins.
The "Yuan Datou" minted in the eight years of the Republic of China has a slightly smaller amount of existence, which is optimistic about many coin collectors.
The existence of "Yuan Datou" marked with the word "Gansu" minted and issued in Gansu Province is already very rare, and it is difficult for ordinary coin collectors to play with it.
"Yuan Datou" the most precious, the rarest variety is the Republic of China three years Yuan Shikai head "signature version" trial coinage, now the general coin card market is not difficult to find its traces, even the coin auction is rarely heard, the coin is currently valued at about 40,000 to 60,000 yuan, is a rare treasure in modern silver coins, for domestic and foreign coin collectors concerned. The price of Yuan Shikai's head two corners and one corner small silver coins is generally about 15 to 40 yuan, the price of the middle dollar (five corners) is more expensive, about 300 yuan, and there are more fake silver coins in the market, and collectors should pay attention to it.
The so-called "three-year signature version of the Republic of China", the coin is the Tianjin Mint General Factory trial coinage, the uncirculated coin on the right side of the Yuan statue engraved with a vertical line of English "l.giorgl", is the Italian engraver "Rulge. George's signature abbreviation is commonly known as the signature head.