I received a copy of Mr. Zhang Jun’s ( 章 軍 ) recently completed book The Source of Coinage (《泉源文草》). Zhang had worked in Shanghai Mint Co., Ltd. (formerly the Shanghai Mint) for 42 years, and served as the director of the technical department, director of information technology department, and deputy chief engineer. He participated in major scientific research projects of national banknote printing and minting. Zhang was also in charge of the development, trial production, and manufacturing of the 1 yuan circulating coins of the fourth set of RMB and the 1 yuan, 50-cent, and 10-cent circulating coins of the fifth set of RMB. He won one first prize, three second prizes, and three third prizes of the Science and Technology Development Award of the People's Bank of China Bank and the Science and Technology Award of China Banknote Printing and Minting Corporation. Zhang also holds a number of invention patents. He has dedicated his youth and made outstanding contributions to the minting industry in modern China. After retirement, he has been working as the secretariat of the Shanghai Numismatic Society and served as the deputy secretary-general of the eighth and ninth secretariats of the Society, doing his best to gather the power of numismatic research and collecting from all walks of life and promoting Chinese numismatic culture.
Among the many books on the study and popularization of numismatics, books on monetary history and numismatics are available in a wide variety of fields. However, there are not many books related to minting, and those written by people who are directly involved in the design and manufacture of minting are even rarer. I read Zhang's The Source of Coinage with an inquiring mind, and I have the following comments.
A total of 52 articles are included in the book. These articles introduce the modern minting technology and process from the shallow to the deep, so that readers can better understand the basic technology and craft of minting, with articles on the coin design and manufacturing processes accounting for a large portion of the book. For example, the book covers the large copper medal and its craft production, the study of antidiscoloration of gold and silver coins (medals) and the discussion of crafts, the anti-counterfeiting technology of currency, the introduction of laser holographic anti-counterfeiting technology, the discussion of minting technology and banknote printing technology, the brief explanation of coin die production, the development of minting technology based on the circulating coinproduction in the past more than half a century, and the brief description of metal coin production.
Some articles enrich our understanding of the development and direction of world coins from the fresh developments in modern Western minting materials and techniques, including those on the development trend and characteristics of current world minting technology, a study tour at the British, German and Swiss mints, the introduction of the Euro, introduction of the Euro coin design, Canadian laser holographic gold and silver commemorative coins, the development of British minting materials, the new minting technology of the Arkansas Company of the United States, and the French Paris Mint and its large brass medal.
The writer also recalled and recorded the process of minting and shared some little-known examples as a direct participant in the production of the modern Chinese mint, leaving real historical materials for this searing history. It covers the RMB series, the birth of the RMB and metal circulating coins in modern China, the memory of minting aluminum 1-cent coins by the Chongqing “Copper Coin Bureau”, the second series of RMB printed by the Soviet Union, and the first commemorative coin for the founding of the People's Republic of China. The book also looks back at the research and development of modern Chinese copper alloy circulating coins, the research and development of the fifth set of RMB circulation coins, the research and development of the peony one yuan coin. In addition, it appreciates the ordinary commemorative coins for the 35th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China.
Approaches from a professional point of view to popularize the knowledge and help to improve the ability to identify counterfeited currencies in the use and collection of coins. Such articles involve anti-counterfeiting technology of currency, analysis of counterfeiting manufacturing technology, prospect for the new anti-counterfeiting technology of coinage, the current situation of the circulation of one yuan fake coin, and thinking of the measures for preventing fake coins.
Zhang Jun's work is written in a simple and unpretentious way. It integrates minting knowledge and numismatic culture, as a good book not only for understanding the process of minting and the new technology of material anti-counterfeiting, but also for collecting modern vintage coins and learning the related knowledge of counterfeiting.
Some articles enrich our understanding of the development and direction of world coins from the fresh developments in modern Western minting materials and techniques, including those on the development trend and characteristics of current world minting technology, a study tour at the British, German and Swiss mints, the introduction of the Euro, introduction of the Euro coin design, Canadian laser holographic gold and silver commemorative coins, the development of British minting materials, the new minting technology of the Arkansas Company of the United States, and the French Paris Mint and its large brass medal.
The writer also recalled and recorded the process of minting and shared some little-known examples as a direct participant in the production of the modern Chinese mint, leaving real historical materials for this searing history. It covers the RMB series, the birth of the RMB and metal circulating coins in modern China, the memory of minting aluminum 1-cent coins by the Chongqing “Copper Coin Bureau”, the second series of RMB printed by the Soviet Union, and the first commemorative coin for the founding of the People's Republic of China. The book also looks back at the research and development of modern Chinese copper alloy circulating coins, the research and development of the fifth set of RMB circulation coins, the research and development of the peony one yuan coin. In addition, it appreciates the ordinary commemorative coins for the 35th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China.
Approaches from a professional point of view to popularize the knowledge and help to improve the ability to identify counterfeited currencies in the use and collection of coins. Such articles involve anti-counterfeiting technology of currency, analysis of counterfeiting manufacturing technology, prospect for the new anti-counterfeiting technology of coinage, the current situation of the circulation of one yuan fake coin, and thinking of the measures for preventing fake coins.
Zhang Jun's work is written in a simple and unpretentious way. It integrates minting knowledge and numismatic culture, as a good book not only for understanding the process of minting and the new technology of material anti-counterfeiting, but also for collecting modern vintage coins and learning the related knowledge of counterfeiting.