2016-10-25 Tue

Cataloguers at Mossgreen Auctions in Australia recently found a Ming Dynasty note inside a cavity of a 15-inch-tall wooden sculpture called the Large Chinese Wooden Head of a Luohan, Jin/Yuan Dynasty from the 13-14th Century.

The 1370 1-kuan note with three official red seals belongs to the Hong Wu period which is the third year of the Ming Dynasty (1368 to 1398). The text “Da Ming Tong Xing Bao Chao” appears on the note which translates to “precious bank note made in Ming dynasty,” and “Yi Guan”. Another text translates to “Authorized by the Department of Finance, this bank note can be used as coins, those who trade using fake banknotes will be beheaded. Those who report such a crime will be awarded 250 Liang silvers and the properties of the criminal. The third year of Hong Wu period”.

Officials were extremely excited about the discovery and said that many-a-times semi-precious stones or scrolls are left inside the base of the back of sculptures. The discovery of this note also assures the exact date of the sculpture.

The note will be sold along with the statue on 11th December at Mossgreen’s sale in Sydney with an estimated value of $40,000 to $60,000 Australian. The note alone has an estimated value of $3,000 to $5,000 Australian.