Shevtsov, Sergey Nikolaevich, Kitayskiye monetovidnyye amulety; Nadpisi, syuzhety, simvoly., "Chinese Coin amulets: Inscriptions, Subjects and Symbols", Moscow, Russia, 2019, 910 pages, hardcover. This book is a study on China s numismatics in the context of traditional Chinese culture. More than 1,800 coin-like amulets, released over the past two thousand years, beginning with the Han era and until the middle of the last century, are described. An attempt was made to classify the artifacts under consideration into classes and groups based on the semantics of inscriptions, subject matter and artistic symbols. The practice of using coin-like amulets and related customs, the connection of amulets with history, art, and religion are studied, and the characteristics of the use of amulets and talismans in modern China are described. The book is intended for Russian orientologist numismatists, and for all who are interested not only in numismatics, but also in Chinese traditional culture. It is safe to say that for decades it will become the most important guide on the subject of Chinese coin-like amulets. The publication was prepared using the author’s own funds, therefore the circulation is very limited - only 66 copies were printed, of which 16 are mandatorily sent to the Book Chamber of the Russian Federation. Thus, only 50 copies are available. More precisely, less a copy for the author and copies sold at the All-Russian Numismatic Conference, 45, which immediately makes the book a bibliographic rarity. The book contains more than 1,800 color and 43 black and white illustrations of amulets from various sources, from private collections and from the personal collection of the author; this copy is signed by the author.
