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“Cash” as currency: Coins and tokens from Yreka Chinatown

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Abstract

Chinese one “cash” coins are widely found in western North American historical sites and are generally thought to have been used primarily as ornaments, gaming pieces, talismans, and gifts to children. The possibility that they were also used as money in the Chinese communities has been suggested by scholars analyzing coins found in various Chinatown sites in the western United States and Canada. The 141 Chinese, Annamese, Hong Kong, and United States coins and tokens recovered from the excavations at Yreka (California) Chinatown appear to validate the hypothesis that Chinese “cash” coins were indeed used as money items by overseas Chinese in the United States.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Anthropology, University of California/Davis, Davis, California, USA, 95616

    Glenn J. Farris

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  1. Glenn J. Farris
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Farris, G.J. “Cash” as currency: Coins and tokens from Yreka Chinatown. Hist Arch 13, 48–52 (1979). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03373449

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03373449

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