Item number: A65

Year: AD 1700s

Material: Silver

Size: 59.64 x 57.59 mm

Weight: 38.33 g

Provenance: Stack’s Bowers Galleries 2023

The object is a form of currency known as “Flower Money Silver Ingot,” which circulated in 16th-18th centuries Burma.

“Flower Money” was an ancient form of currency that was once used in northern Thailand and Burma, until around AD 1800. This type of currency was relatively rare in the market and was typically composed of rough silver discs that resembled flowers or, as some described, shells or patterns of frost on a window.

The production process of these silver ingots was quite unique. During the casting process, the silversmith blew on each disc through a straw, and the floral pattern only formed if the silver was of sufficient purity, becoming a symbol of pure silver. This method of production had turned the floral pattern on “Flower Money” into a representation of quality.

Typically, multiple pieces of “Flower Money” were strung together on a chain, forming a distinctive form of currency used locally. In the image (1), the perforation on the left side of the Flower Money represents the hole for threading the chain. These strings of Flower Money may have held particular cultural significance in the local context and potentially play a role in commercial transactions.

物件編號: A65

年代: 公元 1700s 年

材質: 銀

尺寸: 59.64 x 57.59 mm

重量: 38.33 g

來源: SBP錢幣拍賣 2023

該物件為16-18世紀緬甸曾流通的貨幣「花錢銀錠」。 

「花錢」是泰國北部和緬甸曾經使用的一種古老貨幣，其歷史延續至約公元1800年左右。這種貨幣在市場上相對罕見，通常由粗糙的銀圓組成，形狀看起來有點像花朵，或者有人形容類似貝殼，或窗戶上的霜花圖案。 

這些銀錠的製作過程相當特殊。在鑄造過程中，銀匠透過吹管對每個圓盤進行吹氣，而花朵圖案只會在銀的純度足夠時形成，成為純銀的標誌。這種製作方法使得花錢的花朵圖案成為一種品質的象徵。 

通常，多片花錢會串在一條鍊子上，成為一種特殊的串錢形式，並作為當地的貨幣使用，圖(一)中花錢左側的孔洞即為鍊子的穿孔。这些花錢串可能在當地具有特殊的文化意義，也可能在商業交易中發揮一定的角色。