Bingqian

A Xianping Yuanbao (咸平元寶) biscuit coin.

Bingqian (Traditional Chinese: 餅錢; Simplified Chinese: 饼钱; Pinyin: bǐng qián), or Bingxingqian (traditional Chinese: 餅型錢; simplified Chinese: 饼型钱; pinyin: bǐng xíng qián), is a term, which translates into English as "biscuit coins", "pie coins", or "cake coins",[a] used by mainland Chinese and Taiwanese coin collectors to refer to cash coins with an extremely broad rim, as these cash coins can be very thick.[1][2][3] However, the earliest versions of the Bingqian did not have extraordinarily broad rims.[1][4]

These cash coins were produced during two distinct periods in Chinese history, first they were produced under Emperor Wang Mang of the Xin dynasty and later again during the reign of Emperor Zhenzong of the Northern Song dynasty.[1][5] Only a very small quantity of Chinese cash coins were ever produced that had these very broad rims and/or had a very thick composition.[1]

While there have been speculations about their use, the purpose of these broad rimmed cash coins have yet to be determined.[6]


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  1. ^ a b c d "Song Dynasty Biscuit Coins". Gary Ashkenazy / גארי אשכנזי (Primaltrek – a journey through Chinese culture). 15 February 2016. Retrieved 13 February 2020.
  2. ^ Data.Shouxi.com - Lot:412  北宋特大型“咸平元宝”饼钱 - 进入专场。Retrieved: 17 September 2018. (in Mandarin Chinese written in Simplified Chinese characters)
  3. ^ Taiwan Note - 古錢 Archived 2018-09-19 at the Wayback Machine - 最新更動日期: 2016/12/17. Retrieved: 17 September 2018. (in Mandarin Chinese written in Traditional Chinese characters)
  4. ^ Yuan Tao (袁涛) - A Preliminary Study on the Currency and Bread Money in the Xin-Mang Period (新莽时期的货泉饼钱初探) - "Jiangsu Numismatics" 2011 No. 2 (《江苏钱币》2011年 第2期) - Changzhou Numismatic Society (常州市钱币学会).
  5. ^ Xiao Zhihua (肖志华) - "Daquan Wubai" Cake Coins in the Collection of Inner Mongolia Museum——Also Talking about its Minting Technology (内蒙古博物馆馆藏“大泉五十”饼钱——兼谈其铸币工艺) - "Inner Mongolia Financial Research", Issue S4, 2003 (《内蒙古金融研究》2003年 第S4期) - Inner Mongolia Museum (内蒙古博物馆).
  6. ^ Hartill 2005, p. 130.