大觀通宝 Da Guan Tong Bao

I have not been able to continue this blog in several months, but I have not forgotten it. Probably I will reorganize it when I can devote more time to it, and hopefully soon, and then begin publishing on Northern Song cash systematically. Until then, I want to bring your attention to the availability of a few more lots of 50 pieces of Da Guan Tong Bao which are currently for sale on eBay.

大觀通宝 Da Guan Tong Bao, because of their exquisite design, are usually filtered out of "unpicked" hoards of Northern Song cash, leaving behind no more than 5 or 6 pieces in a lot of 500 or even 1000 pieces. This has been my experience.

Although there are many varieties of Da Guan cash, they are very hard to distinguish, unless you have a larger quantity. In my reference collection currently I may have only a dozen pieces of this type (not varieties), compared to hundreds of pieces of other reign titles. So, I was astonished to find the Da Guan Tong Bao available in lots of 50.

I bought just one lot and it arrived today from a seller in Shanghai with whom I have done business before. I was very happy to find that, not only were the coins all genuine (which I expected) but as I unpacked them and spread them out on the table, I was able to quickly identify at least six or seven varieties, and there were even about 4 or 5 with reverse marks (one mark seems intentional, like the marks on the reverses of Kai Yuan), and a few slipped reverses, which I have never encountered before.

I was tempted to purchase another lot, or even all of them, to examine for my reference collection, but instead I decided it would be better to just let my readers know about them, so they can be shared out among many. I am looking forward to studying my lot of 50 and I will publish the result in this blog in a few days. Meanwhile, if you want to take advantage of a rare opportunity, click HERE for the link to the eBay listing. There are four lots left as of this morning.

Below is a scan of the 51 pieces that I received today, showing just the obverses. I have not retouched the scan in any way, but the coins look better in hand than in the scan. I am sure that if you are using my catalogs, you will be able to identify at least 6 or 8 varieties in a lot of 50. (In this type, that is a good amount.)
Good luck! Click the image to zoom full size.