File:'Black' Tangka - Tibet (Nepalese Mints) - Scott Semans 31.jpg

English: AN IMPORTANT BOOK

T Zhong guo xi zang qian bi tu lu (Illustrated Catalog of the Money of China's Tibet), by Yin Zheng Min (YZM) is a comprehensive variety/date catalog of Tibet & Malla coins and paper, all illustrated with color photos. Generally a finer breakdown than KM, with 91 examples of Gaden Tanka (Y13), for example. Chinese, but very little text and some photos use arrows or drawings to highlight differences. Best single Tibet catalog to date. Not well bound, so expect pages to come loose with serious use.   261p, 5.5x8.25", sc, 2004   SAMPLE PAGE        Minimum book post outside USA is $25   MORE REFERENCES New, signed: $60; Slightly used: $50.00 S NEPALESE MINTS PHOTO Y# DESCRIPTION PRICE

BLACK TANGKA :     Nominally a Mohar of Jaya Ranjit Malla, 1722-69 of Bhatgaon. Trident, banners s. Nepali script, R: 8-lobed square, Nepali script, fixed date 842; 5.07-5.53g; Bhatgaon Mint. Low-fineness version of a Nepali coin produced for decades for export to Tibet, it may be the only coin that caused a war. Increasing debasement (i.e. "blackness") led to a refusal to pay, prime motivation for Nepali invasions 1788-91. Chinese allies took control of the country and established the first Tibetan mint. Rhodes, N., Coinage of Nepal, 1989, p. 206.     Informational Photo: VARIETIES

C20aX   "Black" Tangka FORGERY (contemporary), NE842 (1722), Variety: "U" & wide-spaced dots below trident, finer silve variety, possibly of 1720s-1735, but this a baser silver with low weight 4.11g.     VF-EF    $20.00 D

C20aX   "Black" Tangka FORGERY (contemporary), NE842 (1722), Variety: "U" & wide-spaced dots below trident, finer silve variety, possibly of 1720s-1735, but this a baser silver with low weight 4.05g.     cleaned VF    $20.00 D

C20b   "Black" Tangka, NE842 (1722), Variety: Tri-lobe & close-together dots below trident, irregular obv/rev rotation, poorer silver, possibly 1735-53.     R565, KM (Nepal)-108v, YZM542 F+-VF crude flan    $22.50 S

C20b   "Black" Tangka, NE842 (1722), Variety: Tri-lobe & close-together dots below trident, irregular obv/rev rotation, poorer silver, possibly 1735-53.     R565, KM (Nepal)-108v, YZM542 Vg+-F crude flan    $14.50 S

C20b   "Black" Tangka, NE842 (1722), Variety: Tri-lobe & close-together dots below trident, irregular obv/rev rotation, poorer silver, possibly 1735-53.     R565, KM (Nepal)-108v, YZM542 SAMPLES VG+-F crude $13.50; F+-VF crude flan    $21.00 S

C20c   "Black" Tangka, NE842 (1722), Variety: copper (possibly contemporary forgery), R565v     Vg    $15.00 S JAYA PRAKASHA MOHAR, SEGMENTS :     Nepali Mohur of Jaya Prakash Malla of Kathmandu (1735-46 AD). Fineness about .666. Circulated in Tibet and was cut to produce fractionals, which are always found heavily circulated. Rhodes p. 94 #327-29 (varieties) & pp. 204-09. KM listings are under Nepal.     5 SKAR VARIETIES    Informational Photos: 7½ SKAR VARIETIES    10 SKAR VARIETIES

C41d   7½ Skar, Nepali Mohur of Jaya Prakash Malla of Kathmandu (1735-46), 4 Petals, center & edge cut, R1415, KM268     R1415, KM268 Vg-F    $22.50 16.5 D PRATAP SIMHA MOHAR & SEGMENTS :     Nepali Mohur of Pratap Simha, Gorkha ruler of Nepal 1775-77, variety struck for Tibet. Nepal supplied Tibet with 1.5 million Mohur coins bearing legends of Pratap Simha but the reverse syllables of Sri Sri Gorkhanatha are in separated fleurettes rather than adjacent pointed arches as with his homeland type, and the fineness was .667. Cut segments are more common than uncut Mohars. KM listings are under Nepal.    Informational Photos: 5 SKAR VARIETIES    7½ SKAR VARIETIES    10 SKAR VARIETIES

C43   Pratap Simha Mohar struck for Tibet, SE1697 (1775 AD)     KM#472.2, R640, YZM611v VF-EF    $45.00 S

C44a   Pratap Simha Tanka, cut, 5 Skar, cut (=3 petals), (1775-77), Variety: cut straight.     KM#481, R1425 Vg-F $12.50;SAMPLES F-VF    $19.50 D P

C44b   Pratap Simha Tanka, cut, 5 Skar, cut (=3 petals), (1775-77), Variety: cut straight and at edges.     KM#482, R1426 SAMPLES Vg-F    $14.50 D

C45a   Pratap Simha Tanka, cut, 7½ Skar, cut (=4 petals), (1775-77), Variety: cut straight.     KM#483, R1422 SAMPLES Vg-F $13.50; F-VF    $21.50 D

C45a   Pratap Simha Tanka, cut, 7½ Skar, cut (=4 petals), (1775-77), Variety: cut straight. Date visible: SE1697 (1776AD)     KM#483, R1422 VF    $30.00 P

C45a   Pratap Simha Tanka, cut, 7½ Skar, cut (=4 petals), (1775-77), Variety: cut straight. Date visible: SE1697 (1776AD)     KM#483, R1422 F-VF    $27.50 D

C45d   Pratap Simha Tanka, cut, 7½ Skar, cut (=4 petals), (1775-77), Variety: edges & center cut.     KM#484, R1423-24, N407-10 F-VF    $24.50 P

C46a   Pratap Simha Tanka, cut, 10 Skar, cut (=5 petals), (1775-77), Variety: cut straight.     KM#485, R1418 F-VF    $19.50 D

C46a   Pratap Simha Tanka, cut, 10 Skar, cut (=5 petals), (1775-77), Variety: cut straight, date visible: SE1697 (AD1775)     KM#485, R1418 F-VF    $25.00 D

C46a   Pratap Simha Tanka, cut, 10 Skar, cut (=5 petals), (1775-77), Variety: cut straight, date visible: SE1698 (=1776 AD).     KM#485, R1418 VF-EF    $30.00 D

C46b   Pratap Simha Tanka, cut, 10 Skar, cut (=5 petals), (1775-77), Variety: cut straight, and edges.     KM#486, R1419 VF    $19.50 D

C46b   Pratap Simha Tanka, cut, 10 Skar, cut (=5 petals), (1775-77), Variety: cut straight, and edges.     KM#486, R1419 F-VF    $21.50 D

C46b   Pratap Simha Tanka, cut, 10 Skar, cut (=5 petals), (1775-77), Variety: cut straight, and edges, Date visible: SE1697 (=1775 AD)     KM#486, R1419 F-VF    $25.00 S

C46b   Pratap Simha Tanka, cut, 10 Skar, cut (=5 petals), (1775-77), Variety: cut straight, and edges, Date visible: SE1698 (=1776 AD)     KM#486, R1419 VF    $27.50 D

C46d   Pratap Simha Tanka, cut, 10 Skar, cut (=5 petals), (1775-77), Variety: cut edges & center     KM#486, R1420 EF    $26.50 D

C46d   Pratap Simha Tanka, cut, 10 Skar, cut (=5 petals), (1775-77), Variety: cut edges & center, Date visible: SE1698 (=AD1776)     KM#486, R1420 F    $22.50 D

C46d   Pratap Simha Tanka, cut, 10 Skar, cut (=5 petals), (1775-77), Variety: cut edges & center, Date visible: SE1698 (=AD1776)     KM#486, R1420 Vg+    $17.50 D RANJANA MOHAR, SEGMENT For a discussion of the Ranjana Tangka, see below. It was cut between petals to make fractional units (cho-tang), just as were the Jaya Prakash (C40-42) and Pratap Simha (C43-45), but unlike these, almost never with additional clippings at edge or center. Bertsch suggests this was because the coin was used as much as a charm as a coin, hence further mutilation would be sacrilege, or due to enforcement of a decree against clipping. Although cut Ranjanas are generally scarce, the Damkoehler collection included 61 pieces (plus 4 from other sources) as follows: 3 Petals: 15/40a 6, 15/40b 5, 15/40c 3, 15/40d 2, 15/40e 2, 15/46 1, 16/69 1, 16/92d 1, 16/x 1, NDv 21, NDv shaved 3; 4 Petals: 15/40b 1, 15/40c 1, 15/40e 1, NDv 7; 5 Petals: 15/40b 3, 15/40c 1, 15/40e 1, 16/69 1, NDv 4;    Informational Photo: VARIETIES

C24a   Ranjana Tanka, cut, 5 Skar (=3 petals), c.1880-1912, Variety: Straight cut; no date visible.     BR21 SAMPLES VF-EF    $19.50 D

C24a   Ranjana Tanka, cut, 5 Skar (=3 petals), c.1880-1912, Variety: Straight cut; no date visible. Privately minted by Newari traders in Lhasa copying a Nepali coin & later cut for change. INFORMATIONAL PHOTO     BR21 VF-EF    $21.50 D

C24a   Ranjana Tanka, cut, 5 Skar (=3 petals), c.1880-1912, Variety: Straight cut; 15/40 date visible, Bertsch die "b"     BR21 F-VF    $22.50 D

C24b   Ranjana Tanka, cut, 5 Skar (=3 petals), c.1880-1912, Variety: Straight cut; No date visible, slight shaving of outer edges. An unusual feature, as this type was rarely "desecrated" by clipping or shaving.     BR22 VF-EF    $27.50 D

C25   Ranjana Tanka, cut, 7½ Skar (=4 petals), c.1880-1912, Variety: Straight cut; no date visible.     BR23 BR25 BR26 N419 N420 SAMPLES VF-EF    $33.50 D RANJANA MOHAR :     c.1880-90   Small (6mm) circle around Lotus (no water line) s. Nepali script in square s. symbols, false date, R: Nepali script, trident in 3 lines s. 8 Nepali letters in fleurettes; 27-30mm, 4.14-5.23g.   BR = W. Bertsch, "The Tibetan Tangka with Ranjana Script," ONS Newsletter #185, Autumn, 2005, pp. 18-31 is a die study. Privately minted by Newari traders in Lhasa copying a Nepali coin, little care was given to consistency of details. Comparing the 4th and 2nd characters bottom row in square is sufficient to distinguish dies for the commoner 16/61 and 15/40 dates. These are the most likely visible on cut specimens showing dates. First top letter (T1) helps with 15/40. Numerals are read as: backwards 3 = 6; backwards 1 = 9; 6's are Nepali 6's, not Tibetan.     Informational Photo: DATES & VARIETIES CHINESE DYNASTIC COINAGE PHOTO Y# DESCRIPTION PRICE

QIAN LONG SILVER :     (1792-96) Dot in square s. Qian Long Tong Bao, 4 clouds s. Chinese year at compass points separated by dots, R: same in Tibetan; Dodpal Mint. The Yr. 58 1/2 Tangka has crescent in square vs. dot. For Yr. 58 four denominations were made, distinguishable only by size and weight: 1/2 Sho (5 Fen) 19-21mm, ±1.7-1.9gm; 1/2 Tanga (3/4 Sho) 21-22mm, ±2.6-2.8gm; Sho (Qian) ±3.45-3.87gm; Tanga (1 1/2 Qian) ±5.3-5.7gm. Variable sizes in the Qian Long Sho and Tangka create subtypes. For later years only the Sho was issued. Yr. 58 coins may have been struck later as well, to honor the year of conquest. Rhodes (SH100, referring to the Jia Qing Yr. 8-9 issues) believes that the variation in number of dots in the margins was deliberate and reflects mint organization.    Informational Photos: 1/2 SHO    3/4 SHO    SMALL SHO    MEDIUM SHO, Yr. 58    MEDIUM SHO, Yr. 59    MEDIUM SHO, Yr. 60    LARGE SHO    LARGE TANGKA .