We attended a stamp and coin show at the fairgrounds today and I was thrilled to pick up some nice specimens of ancient Chinese cash, mostly from the Southern Sung. Of course I wanted to bring it all home, but the coins I picked were pretty cool, though not of any high monetary value.
One of the ones I had to leave ’til next time was an excellent copper coin with a stamp/imprint from the mongol dynasty, set up under Ogedei Khan. The inscription on it was very clear, and of course in the mongol/tartar script. I am such a beginner at all this, but I’ve been looking at the coins and reading the history which is imprinted on them for so long, I was delighted with a chance to pick up a few.
What’s really cool is to sit and think of all the people’s hands who’ve handled the coin, all the years that have slipped by it. It’s that kind of history that I want my stories to have, the kind that feels as tangible as ancient cash in the palm of my hand.
