Qing Dynasty. Wen Zong (Xian Feng) Trial Piece 20 Cash ND (1853-1855) Certified 80 by Gong Bo Grading, Fuzhou mint (Fukien Province), Hartill-22.777, Jen-1651, FD-2518. 47.9mm. 49.6gm. Exceedingly rare as a Trial and distinctly different than Patterns and Mother types, with so few of these ever coming to market in recent decades. Despite general granularity and low-reliefs, the piece at hand remains fully desirable as an absolute rarity and will certainly entice the Cash specialist. Trial Pieces fall into two categories, those that were cast to test their practicality and those cast to test the quality of the molds. The Song Dynasty Trials usually fall into the second category and were cast in copper to approve the molds for the circulation coins in iron. Qing Dynasty Trial Pieces are the first category, being usually larger denominations cast for test purposes and not put into circulation. Treasures from the W & L Collection HID09801242017 © 2023 Heritage Auctions | All Rights Reserved

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