YUAN: Da Chao, ca. 1206-1227, AR cash (2.41g), H-19.1, Obverse type 2B (by Belyaev & Sidorovich) with three countermarks: left T2, tamgha of Möngke Qaan; right T3, tamgha of Ariq Böke; bottom, small undeciphered countermark U5, small flan crack, Fine, RRR, ex Shèngbidébao Collection. Da Chao, meaning Great Dynasty, was the Chinese name the Mongols used for themselves. According to Hartill, This coin is alleged to have been cast by the legendary Genghis Khan at his capital at Karakorum. This would place the date about 50-60 years prior to the formal foundation of the Yuan dynasty in 1271. A more likely attribution is the reign of Kublai Khan (1260-1294), who understood China as the base of his power and made great efforts to sinicize his image among his Chinese subjects. Upon gaining the title of the Great Khan in 1260, he moved his capital from Karakorum to Shangdu (in present-day Inner Mongolia), before moving it again to Dadu (Beijing) in 1271, a move which afforded him direct control of central China, but also sparked an uprising in Karakorum. The coin would presumably have been produced after 1260 and before the introduction of his zhi yuan tong bao cash coins around 1285. It is currently estimated that approximately 200-250 specimens are known to exist. According to B&S, U5 should be presented in pair with countermark T1 (retrograde S-tamgha with additional stroke), but it has been lost at this specimen. Currently only three pieces with large Möngke Qaans countermark are reported - one in the collection in the Shanghai Museum (see Zeno-711) and one in a private collection. On this specimen both large tamghas are clearly visible; also the combination of tamghas T2-T3 with pair T1-U5 is unique.
