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Silver sycee (31st year of Jiajing)

Ming, 1552　・　silver　・　16th century　・　Ming

Silver sycee (31st year of Jiajing)（obverse）
Gary Lee Todd, Ph.D. / CC0（Wikimedia Commons）

A lump of silver the Ming used for taxes and large payments. Its rim rises like the edge of a vessel, and on the face are stamped the year of casting and the names of those answerable for it. It was not counted by the piece like copper coin, but weighed on the scales and passed by weight. The museum label reads 'silver sycee, 31st year of Jiajing' (1552).