Chapter 598: Spanish Silver Dollars!
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
“Today is a joyful day. Come, Captain, here’s your bonus!” Luo Feng announced, picking up a gold bar and casually tossing it to the Captain.
The Captain caught it, his face flushed with excitement. “Thank you, Boss, for being so generous!” he exclaimed, gratitude in his voice.
Luo Feng, crouching down with contagious enthusiasm, tossed gold bars one by one to the other crew members. One for each person. This was their reward for the journey.
“Damn, I’m envious!” a viewer called out.
“Old Luo is generous, truly generous; this one alone is worth at least a hundred thousand, right?”
“Damn, working with Old Luo is really great; I’m considering joining too!”
“Forget it,” another retorted, “those who can go to sea are chosen with great care; it’s not just for anyone who wants to go! Unless you’re like those rich second generation heirs who can finance themselves and then go wherever they want.”
Soon, everyone was handed a gold bar, clutching it tightly, afraid of losing it.
Such happiness had come so suddenly, and they were almost unable to react. It felt so unreal.
At that moment, Luo Feng continued to unpack the boxes. Gold bars, official silver ingots; there were so many that it was almost impossible to keep track. Everyone was dazzled and overwhelmed.
“Splash!”
Knowing that it was metal, Luo Feng opened a box and directly poured its contents on the ground. Upon hearing the splashing sound, those mud-covered objects made Luo Feng frown. By appearance, they didn’t look like silver ingots or gold ingots. Rather, they seemed like individual pieces.
Luo Feng picked them up, cleaned them off, and realized they were copper coins. Three centimeters in size with a square hole in the middle, the inscription indicated that they were from the Jiaqing era. “Tong Bao” was written on the sides, with Manchu script on the back.
“Damn, it’s copper coins!” a viewer exclaimed.
“These are from the Jiaqing period?” another inquired.
“It’s confirmed; this must be a Qing Dynasty ship!” someone concluded.
“Why can’t we see fine porcelain like blue and white? Just gold, silver, and copper coins? How vulgar! Why not something more sophisticated?”
“What do you want with blue and white porcelain? Isn’t this gold and silver good enough?” a crew member retorted.
“Good enough? Where’s the magnificence compared to blue and white porcelain? If all were replaced with porcelain, the value would be ten times more!”
“Brother, be honest; the point is, since it’s Old Luo’s, it’s better for them to be gold and silver rather better than all porcelain!”
“Hahaha, such people just can’t stand others doing well!” someone else chuckled.
“I have to admit, I’m quite envious…” another added, reflecting the general sentiment.
Soon, Luo Feng continued to pry open the boxes. This time, it was neither gold bars, silver ingots, nor copper coins. Luo Feng took a look, and its shape seemed to be a silver coin. He found some water, cleaned it off, and announced somewhat surprised, “Look, everyone, this is a Spanish silver dollar!”
“Damn! Something from Spain?” someone exclaimed.
“Confirmed, this must be a merchant ship!” another voiced.
“Did the Qing Dynasty have any trade records with Spain?” a curious crew member asked.
Luo Feng answered, “Certainly. During the Qing Dynasty’s isolationist policy, there was a trade surplus, and a large amount of Spanish silver flowed into our country. Compared to Qing Dynasty currency, Spanish silver dollars were of better quality and uniform weight. People liked them, and they circulated widely in the market. Not just here, but other nations also used Spanish silver dollars for settlements.”
“Hahaha, this one, the Earth’s Double Pillar Silver Dollar, is in excellent condition and very valuable!” Luo Feng laughed, picking up a silver dollar from the ground, “This one has a human head; its price is somewhat lower than the Double Pillar’s.”
Spanish silver dollars had several varieties; this box contained four different kinds, each a favorite in the collector’s world.
Luo Feng continued, “We can basically confirm that this was a ship used for trade back then!”
“But this is a twisted island; how could anyone trade here?” a crew member questioned.
“Not to mention the size of the ship; it doesn’t match up!” another added.
Luo Feng explained, “Although the Qing Dynasty implemented strict maritime restrictions, they didn’t completely shut the door. Guangzhou was a trading port allowed for foreign trade, but I’ve never heard of this place. There’s another possibility; some officials or merchants engaged in private trade might have specifically come here. Based on the situation back then, domestic gooas were sell-
Luo Feng thought this explanation was the most reasonable. The only thing unexplained was that with such a massive volume of goods, it was impossible for there to be no historical records. Even word of mouth would leave some legends. Otherwise, how would those treasure legends have been passed down?
But apart from this, no better explanation could be found.
Soon, Luo Feng put down the silver dollars and continued to open the remaining boxes, each one promising more mysteries and treasures. ….
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