Tai Ping Rebels - 50 Cash - Museum Gallery

EXTREMELY RARE China Very Large Tai Ping Tien Kuo 50 Cash (1856-1860). Tai Ping Tien Kuo -“TAIPING HEAVENLY KINGDOM” on the obverse, and Sheng Bao-“SACRED CURRENCY” on the reverse. Purchased in 1991, from the Scott Semans Auction, of the famous Daniel Ch’ing Collection, (Lot # 570) this is a borrowed photo and description to help fill out the museum. This actual coin is the Krause Catalog Plate Coin (C#38.2), and was formerly in the Daniel Ch’ing Collection. This coin is listed as C#38.2 in the Krause Catalog. Diameter: 54 mm. or 2 and 1/8-inch in diameter. The catalog listed this piece as VG-F and it sold for $245 before fees, today (2-2016) the asking price is nearly $4.5k, and it came with all original envelopes, etc. from the 1991 D. Ching sale. Hartill Qing #4.17 (Type 4.1)
The Taiping Rebellion was a massive civil war in southern China from 1850 to 1864, against the ruling Manchu Qing dynasty. It was a millenarian movement led by Hong Xiuquan, who announced that he had received visions, in which he learned that he was the younger brother of Jesus. At least 20 million people died, mainly civilians, in one of the deadliest military conflicts in history. Hong established the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom with its capital at Nanjing. The Kingdom's army controlled large parts of southern China, at its height ruling about 30 million people. The rebel agenda included social reforms such as shared "property in common", equality for women, and the replacement of Confucianism, Buddhism, and Chinese folk religion with their form of Christianity. Because of their refusal to wear the queue (pony tail), Taiping combatants were nicknamed "Longhairs" (simplified Chinese: 长毛; traditional Chinese: 長毛; pinyin: Chángmáo) by the Qing government, which besieged the Taiping armies throughout the rebellion. The Qing government eventually crushed the rebellion with the aid of French and British forces. In the 20th century, Sun Yat-sen, founder of the Chinese Nationalist Party, looked on the rebellion as an inspiration, and Chinese leader Mao Zedong glorified the Taiping rebels as early heroic revolutionaries against a corrupt feudal system.
VIEW and DOWNLOAD:
THE TWO Most Worthy Articles on the coins of the Tai P'ing Rebellion:
Money of the Kingdom of Heavenly Peace - Sandrock: [ link ]
Chinese Secret Society Coins & Tokens - Wang: [ link ]