I came across this image, taken at the Shanghai Museum (Wikipedia Shanghai Museum), on Wikipedia. It would be helpful if someone could identify these coins for me. I would primarily be interested in the size of these coins.
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2Where is the image from? Is it the Shanghai Museum?– Steve BirdCommented May 16, 2023 at 20:24
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2@SteveBird I got the image from the internet, the link is commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Ming_Dynasty_Coins.jpg According to the description, yes, it is from the Shanghai Museum.– Ferenc BeleznayCommented May 16, 2023 at 20:31
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1 Answer
Two of the coins are catalogued on the Shanghai Museum website. The largest coin in the centre of the image is a large Wanli Tongbao, with a diameter of 87 mm. The smallest coin is a Tianqi Tongbao, with a (rather precise) diameter of 45.04 mm.
The coin on the left-hand side of the image is - according to the label - a Jiajing Tongbao, but I was unable to find this specific coin listed on the museum's website. However, I was able to find an article describing Ming dynasty coins which states:
The Shanghai Museum has two unique pieces of extremely large Jiajing Tongbao coins, both of which are handed down from generation to generation. One is an oblique Jing, with small characters on a plain back, and a diameter of 54mm. The second is a flat Jing, with small characters, and a heavy wheel on the back, with a diameter of 72mm.
The coin in the photo is the 72mm example.
