Lot 5581

AE 20 Cash nd., struck in the 8th year (1919) (ZENO259380) - Obv: Zhonghua tongbi (copper currency of China), Minguo ba nian (8th year of the Republic) / Rev: Ershi wen (twenty cash) - 10.57 g. - good VF for issue, cast, illicit coinage known as 'Lanchow coppers'. The local warlord in or near Lanchow, in need of money to finance his military operations, called in the existing machine struck copper coins (KM308) in circulation, melted them down, debased the mixture, and reportedly even added sand to the alloy to increase the volume of the alloy. This was then used to cast imitations of those same coins