Do not be fooled by costume dramas! The real "silver ingot" is so long

Qing dynasty, Hebei, "long enrichment full color" twelve silver ingots. Beijing Cheng Xuan auction for map

BEIJING, December 12 (Shangguan cloud) Speaking of "silver ingots," like the costume drama of the companions probably have seen a similar plot: eat dinner dozens of two silver readily thrown out, the emperor Reward silver hundred or even twelve thousand, one can walk away ... And, most of these silver ingots are like a "mountain" word: ears on both sides, the middle is a round bulge. However, in Beijing Cheng Xuan Xuan Auction Co., Ltd. Chairman, the ancient coinage expert Zuo Jinghua view, the silver ingots have this impression, basically by some costume drama "flicker", and some of the relevant circumstances, there is a lack of basic Cognition.

According to public information, the "silver bullion" that is really circulating in Chinese history is a kind of ancient currency. Due to its different weight and "two" as its main unit of measurement, it is also known as silver bullion. Silver began in the Han Dynasty, prevailed in the Ming and Qing Dynasties, Tang, Song and Jin Dynasties is silver collars as the ancient currency of circulation, because like a pig kidney, people are commonly known as pork and silver, silver spindles in the Ming Dynasty began to implement , All kinds of shapes.

Qing Dynasty Henan "Weishi County" five two lumbar. Beijing Cheng Xuan auction for map

To the Ming Yingzong period, the court recognized the real status of silver, as the statutory means of payment of state taxes, rice should be converted into silver warehousing, known as the "Golden Flower silver." To Zhang Juzheng "a whip law" reform, the tax force must be converted into silver one payment. Since then, silver has become a necessary part of the daily life of ordinary people, and can not be separated from paying taxes at least.

What are these silver bullion? Zuo Jinghua said that in the Ming and Qing Dynasties, each province's silver ingots "looks" and the amount is not the same, from one or two, twelve, fifty-two ranging from Guizhou 12 small ingots, 12 Sichuan "Sichuan white ingot", Yunnan silver ingots have "trough", there are square silver ingots in Jiangxi, "can be described as mixed, very interesting."

Qing Dynasty Shaanxi "Shangzhou Zhaoji" four two-slot ingot. Beijing Cheng Xuan auction for map

"I used to see it in a TV drama series. Someone pushed the" silver ingots "one car out and the" belly "in the middle of the" ears "on both sides of the ingot bulged out, which actually came from the people's imagination. At that time New Year paintings are mostly painted, in fact, the real silver spindles are not long. "Zuo Jinghua explained that a lot of silver ingots are" shaken "out of the use of molds," so two "ears" are generally stacked or Say "wings", above the water ripples, that is, shake the traces. "

Similarly, some costumes in the reward silver "thousand and two" or "Wan Liang" by a person holding out the picture, in the view of left Jinghua, also a little "do not fly", "remove other factors not consider, a fifty Two silver bullion is equivalent to about four pounds now, one thousand two hundred is almost eight kilos, a person hard to move. "

Early Northern Song Dynasty "Guiyang library" fifty-two silver collars. Beijing Cheng Xuan auction for map

"When the Ming and Qing dynasties are the main coin of silver, coins are roughly equivalent to the coin, the general" change "will be used." Zuo Jinghua half jokingly said that when using large silver two, the general use of silver instead of carrying, "At that moment 5 two silver, probably enough for a few months to eat a family of 35. Qing Dynasty, 50 two in Beijing can buy a courtyard."

In fact, do not look at a silver ingot is not big, but it can tell us many things. Zuo Jinghua said that ancient silver ingots can be roughly divided into government-owned and private-owned ones. Official-owned ones are tax-banned silver and have very strict management. For example, "the place where the finished silver ingot is to be cast, the year of casting, the name of the artisan, etc."

Qing dynasty, "Guangxu five years in May Xiangyang Wei public benefits" fifty-two silver ingot. Beijing Cheng Xuan auction for map

Why carved craftsman name? Zuo Jinghua said that if the casting of silver appears short of catty short two, with lead on behalf of silver and other circumstances, officials will be able to check back to the first time, "In ancient times, casting silver fraud is the beheading sin."

"The identification of silver ingots, mainly based on some factors such as shape.For example, a silver collar in the Northern Song Dynasty, the gold content of 0.77%, with the current standards, can be counted as gold, but refining technology was not enough, heavy gold, These ingredients sink to the very bottom of the silver collar, so this silver-backed honeycomb gives off a glow of golden gold, meaning it has not only a certain amount of gold but also a very high gold content. "Zuo Jinghua said there is a lot of information on these silver currencies , "On the history of finance and taxation, financial and monetary history is very significant."