File:Tibetan Tangka's - Scott Semans 04.jpg

PHOTO Y# DESCRIPTION PRICE

Please order by the numbers in the Y# column. These will often be different from the Y and C references in KM (SCWC). Coins shown in the INFORMATIONAL PHOTOs are for illustration only, not for sale. When photo says SAMPLES. no picking exact coin. TIBET: NEPALESE MINTS

C20b   "Black" Tangka, NE842 (1722), Variety: Tri-lobe & close-together dots below trident, irregular obv/rev rotation, poorer silver, possibly 1735-53. Nepali coin produced for decades for export to Tibet, it may be the only coin that "caused" a war. Increasing debasement (i.e. "blackness") led to a refusal to pay, an excuse for Nepali invasions 1788-91. Chinese allies took control of the country and established the first Tibetan mint. INFORMATIONAL PHOTO     R565, KM (Nepal)-108v, YZM542 Vg+-F crude flan    $14.50 S

C20b   "Black" Tangka, NE842 (1722), Variety: Tri-lobe & close-together dots below trident, irregular obv/rev rotation, poorer silver, possibly 1735-53. Nepali coin produced for decades for export to Tibet, it may be the only coin that "caused" a war. Increasing debasement (i.e. "blackness") led to a refusal to pay, an excuse for Nepali invasions 1788-91. Chinese allies took control of the country and established the first Tibetan mint. INFORMATIONAL PHOTO     R565, KM (Nepal)-108v, YZM542 SAMPLES VG+-F crude $13.50; F+-VF crude flan    $21.00 S

C45a   Pratap Simha Tanka, cut, 7½ Skar, cut (=4 petals), (1775-77), Variety: cut straight. From 1775-77 Nepal supplied Tibet with 1.5 million Mohur coins. These bore legends of Pratap Simha but the reverse syllables of Sri Sri Gorkhanatha are in separated fleurettes rather than adjacent pointed arches as with his homeland type, and the fineness was .667. INFORMATIONAL PHOTO     KM#483, R1422 SAMPLES Vg-F $13.50; F-VF    $21.50 D TIBET: NATIVE TANGKAS

13G   Gaden Tangka, Ser Khang Mint, c. 1918-1922?. Class G: No symbols between Fleurettes.     KM-Y#G13, R-G, YZM342-43, SS-Y13G "F-VF" (Off-center or weak areas)    $9.00

TIBET: MODERN TIBETAN MINTS

Sho, 1918-28 :     15/52-16/2 (1918-28)    Lion looking backward or upward s. LEGEND in fleurettes, R: sho-gang s. date, clouds (5); ±23.8-24.5mm, ±4.0-6.0gm, Copper; Y21a Mekyi = R: No dots in the five ornaments, O: big-mouthed backward-looking lion, "broken neck" form of the lower character rna in 9:00 fleurettes; Y21b Ser-khang = R: Dots in ornaments, O: smaller, thin-lipped upward-looking lion (but some varieties look backward); Y21c Dode = R center: sho / gang in two lines.      Numeral forms and the angle of the lion's head create the most obvious subvarieties, but the rotation of outer legends vs. inner circle and the writing of sho-gang vary also. YZM has broken down the scarce Dode 15/56 issue by die. KM lists no-dot obv. as a variety, but they are more likely engraver errors. Commonest & cheapest coin of Tibet.     Informational Photos: Mekyi 15/52-56 VARIETIES    Mekyi 15/57-16/2 VARIETIES    Ser-khang 15/54 VARIETIES    Ser-khang 15/55 VARIETIES    Ser-khang 15/56-59 VARIETIES    Ser-khang 15/60-16/2 VARIETIES    Dode 15/56-58 VARIETIES    Dode 15/59 VARIETIES    Dode 15/60-16/2 VARIETIES

21a   Sho, No dot R ornaments & Lion's head back (Mekyi), Dates: 16/2 F-VF $4; 15/53, 54, 55, 56a, 57a, 58, 59a, 60, 16/1 F-VF 2.25. Sorry, at these prices, no photos.     KMY#21.1a ← PRICES S

21b   Sho, Dot R ornaments & Lion's head usually up (Ser-khang), Dates: 15/54a F-VF $8; 16/1b (overdate) F-VF $10; 16/2c F-VF $8; 15/55a, b, c, d, 56a, 57, 58a, 59, 60a, 16/1a, 2a F-VF 2.25. Sorry, at these prices, no photos.     KMY#21.2 ← PRICES S

21c   Sho, Two lines center R, Lion looking up at about 45° (Dode), Dates: 15/57a, 59a, 59c F-VF $5; 15/60, 16/1a, 1b, 2 VF 2.50. Sorry, at these prices, no photos.     KMY#21.2 ← PRICES S Sho, 1932-38 :     16/6-16/12 (1932-38)    Lion looking forward s. LEGEND, Rebirth Symbols (4); R: Cloud-like ornament with Mark in central cloud / Sho-gang / Wheel Symbol s. circle, s.date, rosettes (5), ±23.6-24.3mm, ±4.2-6.3gm, Copper; Tapchi Mint. This type has control marks in the cloud-like ornament at 12:00 interior. There appear to be five, six, or more marks, but sloppy engraving, particularly after 16/10, makes identification difficult. Aside from these marks and the form and orientation of the date numeral(s), design elements are fairly stable for this type.    Informational Photos: 16/9 VARIETIES    16/10 VARIETIES    16/11 VARIETIES    16/12 VARIETIES

23   Sho, Tapchi Mint; Dates: 16/7 EF $10; 16/9a, b, c, d, e, f, 10c, 11d, f, g VF-EF 2.50. Sorry, at these prices, no photos.     KMY#23 ← PRICES S 5 Sho, Copper :     16/21-27 (1947-53)    Lion, mountain, clouds, suns and/or moon; R: denomination & date s. circle s. LEGEND in fleurettes, dots; 29.3-29.8mm, ±8.2-8.7gm, Copper; Tapchi Mint. Types are distinguished by the mountains, sun & moon, and date varieties by number of tail and leg hairs, side clouds, and yinyang. Omitted dots and overdates distinguish reverse varieties. JL shows a number of improbable pieces which could be mules, or photo errors. The 16/27 is the only Tibetan coin of this date, and the last coin of independent Tibet. A fantasy of the three-mountain type of 16/21 was struck in copper, silver, and gold by the Vaalcambi Mint in 1978.    Informational Photos: 3 mountain, 2 sun VARIETIES    "Missing Cloud" VARIETY   Sun & Moon 16/23-24 VARIETIES   Sun & Moon 16/25-27 VARIETIES

28a   5 Sho, Three mountains & two suns, 16/22a (1948), 16/23a (1949)     KMY#28.1, YZM838,840-45 Each: EF    $12.50 P D

28c   5 Sho, Three mountains, sun & moon 16/24a (1950) F-VF Each: $5     KMY#28a, YZM846-57 ← PRICES P D

28S   5 Sho, various types & dates, silver plated or coated, probably for some ceremonial or gift purpose.     KMY#28a, YZM846-57 Each: F-VF    $6.00