493 - THREE SILVER COINS

THREE SILVER COINS Dimensions: Height 1,5 cm - 2,8 cm Weight: 228 grams all A group of three small silver pieces cast in the familiar boat- and ingot-like forms associated with East Asian silver currency. Each has a broad, rising rim and a rounded or inscribed centre, but no two are quite alike: one is wide and shallow with a smooth domed centre, another is more compact with a patterned upper surface, and the third rises sharply at both ends around a decorated central panel. Their worn, softly reflective surfaces retain traces of darker toning, scratches and handling marks. Such objects were valued primarily by weight rather than by a fixed face value, and their form reflects a monetary system in which precious metal could circulate as bullion. The boat-shaped profile became so closely associated with wealth that it survived far beyond purely financial use and entered the visual vocabulary of prosperity and good fortune. Seen together, the three pieces make an engaging small group because they show how a simple idea could be interpreted in different proportions and surface treatments. Their appeal lies as much in the tactile, hand-worked character of the silver as in their monetary associations: compact objects at the intersection of bullion, exchange and the symbolism of wealth.