China - Charms & Mirrors，QING: Dao Guang, 1821-1851, AE charm (20.29g), CCH-412, 43mm, "lantern-hanging money", tian xia tai ping (heaven below great peace), with circular central hole, ex Shèngbidébao Collection. Palace cash may or may not be considered a type of amulet. These were made as New Years gifts to people in the Imperial Palace, usually eunuchs and guards, who often hung the smaller ones below lamps, the larger ones below curtains. Hartill, in "Qing Cash " (Royal Numismatic Society, 2003), agrees they were handed out as gifts in the Palace, but only upon the establishment of each new reign title, and were wrapped in red cloth. This is likely a private but contemporary issue.
