How to Spot a Fake Bill, and Other Exhibits at the Numismatic Museum
To celebrate International Museum Month we returned to some of Beijing’s more niche museums for a look around. Our team found the aging exhibits just as bizarre and pleasantly surprising as we’d remembered.
China Numismatic Museum (中国钱币博物馆)
Late night cabbies beware: visitors of the China Numismatic Museum can learn how to spot a fake note. Their pointers include checking:
- whether you can see ink through the other side of the bill when you hold it up to light
- whether the number changes color on the bill when you change angles
- whether the bill contains rough marks from counterfeit printing
- whether the Braille side of the bill exists or is completely flat
Outside of the museum's practical attributes is the second floor's exhibit of ancient Chinese currency from the Warring States period through the various dynasties. Seashells, the round coins of the Qin Dynasty, a money tree, and even golden nuggets (jin yuanbao) are on display. The highlight is a model of a bank counter where money was distributed from the money scale, with a lesson on the history of banking in China.
Delving deeper into history, the third floor features money from the early Republic of China. Coins close to the time of the demise of the Qing Dynasty reflect a leap in the style of currency making. It's evident there was some Western influence when silhouettes of emperors were emblazoned on coins. There are over 30 million coins in the expansive collection housed in the museum.
China Numismatic Museum 中国钱币博物馆
Tue-Sun 9am-4pm. RMB 20, RMB 10 (student). 17 Xijiaomin Xiang, Xicheng District (6608 1385) 西城区西交民巷17号
A version of this article appears in the September 2013 issue of the Beijinger
Photos: Elizabeth Wu
