Catalog of ancient Chinese coins

Author: Hu Guangpu
Publisher:
Publish Date: 1998-08-01
Features:
1. This book collects nearly 3,000 ancient coin illustrations, ranging from the Shang and Zhou dynasties to the late Qing Dynasty and early Republic of China, with sizes consistent with the original items.
2. It includes all major categories, famous rarities, and rare coinage from each dynasty. For common varieties with multiple editions, a selective approach is adopted, featuring representative examples to represent the entire series.
3. To help readers better identify and distinguish various coin types, brief annotations are provided next to illustrations for a significant portion of the ancient coins (based on their inscriptions, forms, or important edition characteristics).
4. This book applies a uniform grading system to all coin types, using the "Ten-Grade System" previously established by the renowned numismatist Ma Dingxiang. The grading is concise, clear, and straightforward:
- Grade 1: Major (Special) Rarity
- Grade 2: Rarity
- Grade 3: Scarce and Valuable
- Grade 4: Rare
- Grade 5: Scarce and Expensive
- Grade 6: Scarce
- Grade 7: Very Rare
- Grade 8: Rare
- Grade 9: Common
- Grade 10: Numerous
5. The valuations in this book are based on the Chinese yuan (RMB) and reflect current domestic market prices, while also considering edition prices from various regions. The valuations are carefully reviewed to ensure consistency and fairness. However, due to ongoing discoveries of ancient coins and occasional fluctuations in individual editions, as well as the limited scope of the compiler's knowledge, these valuations are provided for reference only.
6. The valuations for each era are based on high-quality specimens. If the condition is exceptionally fine or less than ideal, the price may be adjusted accordingly.