Zheng He kicks off a new ‘Famous Explorers’ silver coin series complete with inset hand painted porcelain
We’re seeing an uptick in the Mint of Poland’s impressive ancient world themed coins after months and months of Covid-induced interference, encompassing the old myths and legends of antiquity. Sometimes, amongst all the god s and fantastical beasts, we see something we like a lot here – real history. Enter ‘Famous Explorers’, a new series designed and produced by Mint of Gdansk.
Zheng He was an admiral that would feature on any historians top ten naval commanders, certainly in the field of exploration. He’d be considerably more widely known if he hadn’t had the misfortune to live between two periods of Chinese isolation from world events. A Muslim, a eunoch and a brilliant commander sailing the biggest ships in the world at the time, he has all the hallmarks of a standout figure, so hopefully, this new coin will help spread the exploits of this hugely impressive figure.
It’s as you would expect regarding the specification. one of the mints signature 2oz fine silver, antique-finished coins, employing lashings of high-relief and a rimless design. There’s a very stirring image of Zheng He on the reverse face, There’s one of the epic ‘Treasure Ships’ (Baochuan) that were used by Zheng He in the background, while the foreground is filled with an image of the man surrounded by some of the goodies he picked up. A classic pose it’s a fine choice. There’s no gilding this time, instead an inset porcelain Ming urn is placed in the face, complete with hand-painted detail.
The obverse continues the mints knack of sprucing up the simple Niue effigy of Queen Elizabeth II. She’s still there, but incorporated expertly into a wider piece of artwork showing off a mix of Chinese architecture and patterns. The coin has a mintage of 500 pieces and will come in a wooden box with a Certificate of Authenticity. As we stated earlier, we think the choice of subject is a refreshing one, eschewing the usual gods, myths and legends for a look at actual history, and it picks up plenty of brownie points for that alone. That the coin looks great and somewhat unique, is quite the bonus. Distributed by the producer, Mint of Gdansk, it’s available to order now and is expected to ship around years end, usual Covid problems aside. The first in a six-coin series planned to be released one per annum, we’re certainly looking forward to the next one.
ZHENG HE
Admiral Zheng He (aka Cheng Ho, c. 1371-1433 CE) was a Chinese Muslim eunuch explorer who was sent by the Ming dynasty emperor Yongle (r. 1403-1424 CE) on seven diplomatic missions to increase trade and secure tribute from foreign powers. Between 1405 and 1433 CE Zheng He commanded huge fleets loaded with trade goods and high-value gifts to such far-flung places as Hormuz in the Persian Gulf and Mogadishu in East Africa.
Following established sea routes but often finding himself the first ever Chinaman to land at many of his destinations, Zheng He is widely regarded as the greatest ever Chinese explorer. His travels may not have brought much success in terms of new trade or lasting tribute to the imperial court but the knowledge, ideas, and exotic goods he brought back home – from jewels to giraffes – created an interest in foreign countries and a realisation of their wealth which contributed to China’s increased role in world trade in later centuries. Even if his wake was not immediately followed, Zheng He had shown the way.
The first three voyages of Zheng He (1404, 1408 and 1409 CE) followed more established trade routes. He went via Southeast Asia, sailing down the coast of Vietnam, stopping at Sumatra and Java and then on through the Malay Archipelago and through the Straits of Malacca, crossing the eastern Indian Ocean to reach India and Sri Lanka. Zheng He’s fourth voyage in 1413 CE saw him sail to India again, once more pushing on around the southern tip of the subcontinent and visiting again Cochin and Calicut on the west coast. This time he also found time to stop off at the Maldive Islands, before crossing the Arabian Sea and reaching Hormuz on the Persian Gulf. Sailing down the coast of Arabia, he then went on to Aden and up the Red Sea to Jeddah, from where a party travelled to Mecca. A report states that 19 foreign rulers sent tributes and diplomatic missions to the emperor as a consequence of this fourth voyage.
Voyages five, six, and seven (1417, 1421, and 1431 CE) reached even further afield, landing at Mogadishu, Malindi, and Mombassa, all on the coast of East Africa. Zheng He is the first attested Chinese to visit the Swahili coast. The ruler of Mogadishu was responsive and did send an embassy to Yongle, and even distant Zanzibar was reached by Zheng He’s fleet.
Zheng He, like many great explorers before and since, died in the middle of an expedition, his seventh voyage. The great admiral died in Calicut in 1433 CE, and his body was returned to China for burial in Nanjing.
Cartwright, M. (2019, February 07). The Seven Voyages of Zheng He. Ancient History Encyclopedia. https://www.ancient.eu/article/1334/
| SPECIFICATION | |
| DENOMINATION | $5 NZD (Niue) |
| COMPOSITION | 0.999 silver |
| WEIGHT | 62.2 grams |
| DIMENSIONS | 45.0 mm |
| FINISH | Antique |
| MODIFICATIONS | Ultra high-relief, Coloured porcelain insert |
| MINTAGE | 500 |
| BOX / C.O.A. | Yes / Yes |
Yet another series from the Poland started but will never finish. Stay away from anything produced by this mint. Horrible marketing plan. They’ve started at least 10 different ‘series’ and have NEVER completed a single one and many are in their first issue and no one knows if they’ll continue. Poland Mint is a 💩
To be fair, most of these series are commissioned by dealers, so the mint is reacting to demand. The premature fizzling out of these series is hugely frustrating, I agree, especially considering how good most of them are, but if they’re not selling, they’re gonna die off. I’d certainly like to see some of the dealers be less ambitious and open ended with their plans. The Coin Shoppe/Magikos ‘Hercules’ and ‘Four Horsemen’ series, as well as this one have at least defined a scope which collectors have every right to expect them to commit to.
Yeah, I’ve sold all my pieces from this mint. As a collector it’s too frustrating, not having any clarity. I think the reason why the 4 horsemen is popular is well, it’s a series of 4. You know what to expect up front. How many series have they minted, and there is no marketing plan? I think the mint should demand it, because their reputation is on the line too. I’m forever done with the anything from these guys, and many other friends who had many of these pieces sold them too…they finished with them. I don’t know what the challenge is? This is the x series, it will have 4 in the series.
I didn’t see this! BINGO!! “ The first in a six-coin series planned to be released one per annum, we’re certainly looking forward to the next one.” Finally a sponsor gets it!!!!! Kudos to them. I think they’ve sensed the frustration and listened to the collector.
Believe it or not, there are more series of coins that are minted in the Mennica Polska and have a roadmap already defined. For example The Witcher Book Series. Last year the first two that you can find in an article of this blog came out. One of 2 oz of silver with 2,000 of mintage and another of 1 kilo of silver with only 200 of mintage. Since last year they have already said that one coin of each type will come out per year and that each of these two annual versions will be dedicated to one of the eight novels that exist. That is, there will be eight 2-ounce coins and eight 1-kilo coins.
As you criticize that series, I will say that even though I am a fan of The Witcher, the two 2-ounce coins there are, I don’t like them ……. The one from 2019 has things in its design on the reverse that I see little to my liking, including a piece of blue painted plastic …… The one from this year 2020 I see directly horrible on its reverse and ugly in parts of the obverse. Then they have 2,000 coins that make them the 2-ounce coins with the highest mintage of the Mennica Polska. And they have a higher price than coins of the same mint with the same weight and considerably less mintage (999 or 500 for example).
The 1 Kilo in change I liked a lot both in their designs and in their level of finish. They also have a very low mintage, which is I think the smallest of any recent Mennica Polska series. I bought last year 1 Kilo, although I will not continue the series because they are worth more than 3,000 euros. I’m not saying they are not really worth it, but with the price of each copy I can buy complete series of 2, 3 or 5 ounce coins and even 1 or 2 ounce gold coins.