Posted 09/20/2010 03:44 am
I use a copy of Schjoth to identify my Chinese cash coins.
Both the author and my book have interesting histories.
Frederick Schjoth was the son of the Norwegian Ambassador to China in the late 19th Century. He was born and grew up in China. When he was 19 years old, his father sent him back to Norway to study for a degree. He went back to China and took over from his father as the Norwegian Ambassador.
The coins shown in his book were from his own collection formed over a 20 year period.
My copy of his book was originally purchased new by the Portland Oregon Coin Club and put into the Municipal Library. Sadly, it was never borrowed out. The borrowing history was on the inside front cover. For me that was good news, because it was in excellent condition.
Back in about the early 1980's, I was buying Chinese cash coins by the bucket load for next to nothing, and I did not really have a clue what I was buying. The only thing that I did know was that I was told to pick up all of those that had plain reverses.
I went to a leading coin dealer in Sydney, who was also an old friend (Jim Noble by name), and asked if he had a good reference on Chinese cash Coins. "No" was his answer, but Schjoth would be a good reference for my purpose. At that stage, Jim had a close association with Spink's in London, he asked them, but they did not have a copy.
Six months later, Jim rang me and asked if I still needed a copy of Schjoth; his associates in London had just received a copy from America. Apparently the Municipal Library in Portland had sold out a job lot of little borrowed books and my copy had found it's way to Spink's in London, probably through a book auction.
Jim said the the price is $14 which I thought was a steal. Needless to say, I bought the book and had lots of fun properly attributing hundreds of Cash Coins, which had on average had originally cost me a lot less than 10 cents each. I have all Dynasties and most Emperors represented in my collection.
Both the author and my book have interesting histories.
Frederick Schjoth was the son of the Norwegian Ambassador to China in the late 19th Century. He was born and grew up in China. When he was 19 years old, his father sent him back to Norway to study for a degree. He went back to China and took over from his father as the Norwegian Ambassador.
The coins shown in his book were from his own collection formed over a 20 year period.
My copy of his book was originally purchased new by the Portland Oregon Coin Club and put into the Municipal Library. Sadly, it was never borrowed out. The borrowing history was on the inside front cover. For me that was good news, because it was in excellent condition.
Back in about the early 1980's, I was buying Chinese cash coins by the bucket load for next to nothing, and I did not really have a clue what I was buying. The only thing that I did know was that I was told to pick up all of those that had plain reverses.
I went to a leading coin dealer in Sydney, who was also an old friend (Jim Noble by name), and asked if he had a good reference on Chinese cash Coins. "No" was his answer, but Schjoth would be a good reference for my purpose. At that stage, Jim had a close association with Spink's in London, he asked them, but they did not have a copy.
Six months later, Jim rang me and asked if I still needed a copy of Schjoth; his associates in London had just received a copy from America. Apparently the Municipal Library in Portland had sold out a job lot of little borrowed books and my copy had found it's way to Spink's in London, probably through a book auction.
Jim said the the price is $14 which I thought was a steal. Needless to say, I bought the book and had lots of fun properly attributing hundreds of Cash Coins, which had on average had originally cost me a lot less than 10 cents each. I have all Dynasties and most Emperors represented in my collection.
