Chinese Sycee
About Chinese Sycee
Also called yuanbao, meaning original treasure. Boat or shoe shaped silver ingots used for large transactions. Each sycee was individually made and stamped by a silversmith or banker. The value depended on weight and purity, verified by assayers. Sycee were used alongside cash coins for over 1,000 years. Foreign silver from Spanish pieces of eight was melted and recast as sycee. The practice ended when the Republic of China introduced modern silver dollars in 1914.
Related Entries
Novgorod Ruble
Long thin silver ingots used in medieval Novgorod and other Russian cities. Also called wire money o...
Chinese Silver Sycee Detail
See Chinese Sycee entry. Sycee were also called yuanbao meaning original treasure. The shape varied ...
Chinese Cash Coin
The longest-lived coin design in history, produced for over 2,000 years. Round with a square hole, r...
Chinese Silver Panda
The silver bullion coin of China, first issued in 1983. Features a different giant panda design each...