BOOK REVIEW: TAIWAN PATTERN COINS, 1949–1987

Wang, Yung-Ching 王永慶.
Taiwan yang bi, 1949 – 1987 台灣樣幣, 一九四九 – 一九八七
Taiwan Pattern Coins, 1949–1987

Taipei City: Author, 2025

Taipei City: Author, 2025
Hardcover, 18.5cm x 26cm, 272 pages, full color throughout: photos, facsimiles.
ISBN: 978-626-01-3899-8
Largely bilingual (Chinese and English)

Price: US$199, includes shipping; or for E-Sylum readers contacting the seller directly, US$179, includes shipping
Contact: tigercoins@gmail.com

The Taiwan coin-collecting community was surprised and delighted in March of 2025 by the publication of Wang Yung-Ching's work: Taiwan Patterns, 1949-1987.

In 1995, the author's father, Wang Ming-Zong, at the age of 49, bought his first Taiwan pattern. In his new book, Wang Yung-Ching publishes the prototypes, largely from his father's collection, but augmented with examples and data contributed by fellow-collectors. He distills his research findings, ferreted out from earlier publications, from documents and correspondence of the Central Mint of China, the National Archives, and the US Treasury Department, and uses these to reconstruct the developmental history of Taiwan's coinage.

 

There are two hugely important differences, distinguishing Wang's book from those of his predecessors: 1) he provides more and original source data; and 2) through the benefits of X-ray Fluorescence (XRF), he was able to ascertain a more accurate alloy composition analysis of his specimens.

The book is composed of three chapters and five appendices.

The first three headings of Chapter 1 deal with the formation of the Bank of Taiwan; the multiple and severe, inflationary crises it faced from June, 1948 to June, 1950; and its attempts at currency reform, including the issuance of the New Taiwan dollar. In 1950, with the outbreak of the Korean War, the US, recognizing Taiwan's strategic value, shifted its foreign relations policy and resumed aid to Taiwan. Since Taiwan's military expenditures were gobbling up nearly three-quarters of the nation's budget, this injection of US financial aid assisted in the eventual arresting of inflation, and the propelling of Taiwan to a near-miraculous economic recovery.

The last section of Chapter 1 briefly reviews, as the heading states, the "Inaugural Design" for the first New Taiwan dollar-coin.

 

Chapter 2, the "Catalog," comprised of 170 pages, represents the bulk of the book. However, before immersing oneself in Wang's photo gallery and detailed analyses, there is a six-page prelude. In a subsection, entitled "The Definition of PATTERN Coins," Wang clearly defines his terms and explains his use of "PATTERN" in the upper case as encompassing—much to any numismatists delight—the full array of pre-circulation-strike numismatic products: patterns, off-metal strikes, trial pieces, die trials, and specimens.

Further, he offers a rarity scale, ranging from R1 (rarest) to R5 (most common), "estimated to be not more than 40 pieces," and UTD (unique-to-date) items.

It is worth noting that the latest (47th) edition of the Standard Catalog of World Coins, 1901-2000, published in 2019, lists 74 Taiwan patterns. Wang, using his expanded definition of PATTERN, more than doubles that figure, archiving and picturing 161 examples, including 20 UTDs.

 

 

In Chapter 3, "Provenance," Wang discusses the 1949 hubs and dies; the varying colors of PATTERN coins; and pre-casting proposals. This is followed by some intriguing data analysis—all substantiated by translations of telegrams and mint directives—of the 1949 weight-based gold ingots. Finally, the appendices. The first offers a 4-page layout of the Central Mint's year 57 (1968) and year 58 (1969) design drafts for F.A.O. (the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization) coinage, none of which designs was ever adapted.

The index informs that ensuing appendices include: "The Manuscript of Mr. He Lien-Sheng"; "Die Trials"; "How Dies Are Made"; and "Evacuation of the Sichuan Branch."

The only notable quibble with this book is that the “Preface” (前言) and “Introduction” (序) are completely monolingual (Chinese), while the “Appendix” offers less than a handful of words bilingually. This, however, only amounts to an inconvenience, since it is readily rectifiable with Google translator (as the author of this review has done). The few untranslated preliminary pages detail how the collection was formed, over what time-period, and the names a half-dozen influential pattern collectors from whom purchases were made. Further, it mentions earlier Taiwanese pattern-research publications, with the 1984 work, Taiwan Pattern Coins (1949-1976) (台灣試鑄幣 / Taiwan shi zhubi) by Chen Hong-pin (陳宏賓), previously considered the most comprehensive reference in this specialized disciple.

Wang Yung-Ching's book is at once a masterful piece of numismatic sleuthing and a labor of love. The scope, meticulous research and analysis, and high-resolution color photos have already earned his work shelf-space in the libraries of such esteemed institutions as the American Numismatic Association, the National Museum of American History, National Palace Museum in Taipei, and The Royal Mint Museum; and belongs in the library of anyone with an interest in the evolution of Taiwan's coinage—whether neophyte or advanced specialist. It is already an invaluable research tool, and it is sure to remain unsurpassable for years, if not decades, to come.

	NBS (coinbooks.org) Web