On July 7th, 2023, 150 copper coin collectors and researchers from all over China visited the Shanglan International Hotel in Taiyuan, the capital of Shanxi Province, to participate in the 18th China Copper Coin Symposium. The event lasted for three days. The symposium included three focuses of exchange, seminar, and visit, and it was held successfully under the careful planning and organization of the organizing committee headed by Cui Libo (崔立波), a well-known copper coin collector. (Fig. 1)
Fig. 1 Group photo
On the first day, participants checked in, shared their "treasures", and took photos together (Fig. 2). The prelude of the copper coin exchanges was opened. Some attendees completed the coin transaction according to the agreement through WeChat in advance, while most people were seeking to buy the coins and varieties of their own needs on-site. There were also a few people inquiring about prices and speculating trends to seek the best time to purchase. Copper coin collector Wu Hongwei (武宏偉) said, "I have a harvest and thank you for all the friends!" This copper coin symposium was worth the trip. Attendees could see the coins that they had never seen to broaden their horizons, and they could also meet old friends and make new friends.
The reception dinner was held at 7:30 p.m. amidst cheers and laughter. Cui Libo gave a warm and brief welcome speech. Bao Liben (包立本), chairman of the Changzhou Antique Trade Association, donated his calligraphic work "Exploration in the Ocean of Coin" to the symposium for congratulations (Fig. 3). A silver and copper medal set with special numbers (Fig. 4) were auctioned, with medals numbered 1, 88, and 111 realizing 1,000 RMB each.
On the morning of July 8, the seminar hosted by copper coin expert Zhou Qinyuan (周沁園) was the highlight of the symposium (Fig. 5). The seminar was broadcast by five popular hosts from Kuaishou. Duan Honggang (段洪剛), a famous expert and leader in the copper coin community, made an impassioned speech on the theme of "Love Copper Coin and Promote Copper Coin Culture. Gather to Make Friends and Inherit Civilization" (Fig. 6). He said that the number of participants was the largest ever and the attendees were the elites in the Chinese copper coin community. The copper coin symposium was not easy to organize. Zhou Qinyuan, Chen Zhonghua (陳忠華), Wang Baoning (王寶寧), and Duan are the must-attendees at every symposium (Figure 7). It is the love for Chinese copper coins and the cherished friendship that brings them together. The symposium has been held for 20 years, and it is believed that it will be held continuously. We want to make the culture of copper coin collection spread farther and farther, and let more friends join the team of Chinese copper coin collection and research.
Michael Chou, president of Champion Auction and editor-in-chief and publisher of the Journal of East Asian Numismatics (JEAN), has been paying attention to and supporting the research of Chinese copper coin collection. Although he was in the United States when the symposium was held, he entrusted Yuan Shuiqing, Chinese editor of the JEAN to attend the event. (Fig. 8) Yuan first made an analysis of the coin market situation. He held that the Chinese copper coin market was now entering a period of adjustment, but the prices of patterns, existing rare coins, special varieties, and high-grade coins were still firm. Yuan used the 13 coins that sold for more than $100,000 for a single coin at Beijing Chengxuan's Spring 2023 auction as examples. He then introduced the work of Champion Auction and the JEAN in promoting the collecting and research of Chinese copper coins, including the inclusion of 25 rare copper coins in the third edition of Top Chinese Coins, the introduction of the monographs on copper coins by domestic and international senior collectors, the publication of more than ten articles on research results, and sponsorship of the symposium. Finally, Yuan puts forward the suggestions of researching the fine copper coins in the collection, seeking new discoveries from foreign collections, and filling in the blanks in the regional copper coin research monographs.
Wu Guiping (武貴平), a well-known researcher of Chinese copper coins, is a native of Yuanping City, Shanxi Province. He has focused on collecting and studying the copper coins that were minted in Shanxi in the Qing dynasty since 1991. Shanxi began to mint copper 10-cash and 20-cash coins in the seventh year of the Republic of China (1918). Wu's speech centered on the "Overview of Shanxi Copper Coins" (Fig. 9), which gave a detailed introduction to the three major types of copper coins minted in Shanxi Province, namely, the one-cash copper coin, the twenty-cash copper coin, the military worker's consumption token. He also introduced the Shanxi nickel coin, including its variety and the latest research results. It gave the participants a brand-new understanding of Shanxi copper coins.
Born in 1985 in Neijiang, Sichuan Province, Zhang Song (張松) is now working in GBCA, Nanjing. Young and studious, he has been in contact with coins for 15 years, with more than 10 years of experience in collecting and submitting coins for grading, and more than 5 years of experience in coin conservation. He once worked as a professional appraiser for a famous grading company for 3 years and has graded more than 100,000 coins. He made a speech about "Grading and Conservation of Chinese Copper Coins" (Fig. 10). His speech covered a brief history of the Chinese copper coin, the reason for the copper coin grading, coin grading standards, the development of coin grading, copper coin grading factors, the coins unqualified for grading, the way to submit for grading, the copper coin grading process, and copper coin preservation and conservation. His knowledge is systematic and impressive.
There is a similarity between the minting process of the medal and copper coin in the Republic of China period. Liu Yangbo (劉陽波) from Yuzi, Shanxi, born in 1996, who now runs a store in Yunzhou Antique City, Shanghai, and who has collected Republic of China medals since 2017, introduced the varieties of Shanxi high-relief medals and Yan Xishan justice medals (Fig. 11). Shanxi Yan Xishan commemorative medals in the republic period are divided into restoration medals, grain medals, disaster relief medals, chrysanthemum medals, courage medals, security medals and justice medals. Liu made an in-depth study of the numbering, variety, and issue quantity of the justice medals, and deciphered the meaning of the ninth digit and tenth digit which indicated the number of members of the justice advocacy group and the issue quantity of the medal.
At the end of the symposium, it was determined that the 19th Chinese Copper Coin Symposium would be held in Nanjing in 2024. Chen Zhonghua, a well-known collector of Shandong copper coins, signed books on the spot (Fig. 12).
From the afternoon of July 8 to July 9, participants visited the Shanxi Museum, the famous Qiao's Courtyard, and the Ping Yao Ancient City to experience the vastness and depth of the culture of the Shanxi Province.