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Copper medals a passionate hobby
By Gu Jialan and Xu Wei |
November 29, 2010, Monday
|
Print Edition
Print Edition
MANY people collect stamps and coins, but few collect copper medals.
Sun Peirong belongs to that esoteric group. The Nanxiang Town resident took up the hobby six years ago and now has more than 400 copper medals in his collection.
He is mostly self-taught in the art of medal design. The hobby must be infectious. His six-year-old son is also taking a keen interest.
Sun, 36, is especially proud of the six big Expo medals in his collection. The coins are imprinted with the World Expo 2010 Shanghai blue mascot Haibao, the red China Pavilion and the Expo theme "Better City, Better Life."
"During Expo, Shanghai Mint and several other companies issued more than 10 big copper medals," Sun said. "I bought some of my favorites not just for collection but to memorize the Expo Shanghai."
Six years ago, Sun's father obtained from a friend a special Chinese zodiac copper medal to mark the Year of the Rabbit. Sun was immediately attracted to the high-relief of the coin, which was less than palm-sized.
He logged on to the Internet and found that there were 12 Chinese zodiac copper coins. Why not try to collect all of them? He accomplished his goal in two years, after visiting coin shops, Shanghai Ming and surfing various websites where collectors exchange items.
"Look, the tiger copper coin was only 100 yuan (US$16) when it was released, but now its price has skyrocketed to more than 8,000 yuan," said Sun.
Compared with ordinary souvenir coins, copper medals feature larger sizes, richer cultural connotations and more aesthetic appeal because of their high relief.
Sun proudly displayed his most hard-won copper medal - a memento of the flag-handing-over ceremony at the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games.
This coin was originally released in gift sets. It was hard to buy in the market, but Sun was very eager to add it to his collections.
By chance a Beijing collector posted a notice on the Internet, saying he was willing to sell the copper medal. Sun quickly got in touch with him. Fearing that it might get lost even in express delivery, he flew personally to Beijing to conclude the deal.
"This medal was priced at 5,000 yuan, and it cost me more than 7,000 yuan, including flight and accommodation expenses," Sun said. "But I think it was worth it."
He added, "There are few domestic copper medal collectors. I have met only one in Jiading District. I believe the hobby will pick up popularity once more people become aware of the cultural meanings in these copper items."
To further that goal, Sun built a themed website (http://club.shdtz.com) to spread the culture and charm of copper medals. He has made a lot of new friends through the website, which has among the highest click-rates of similar sites.
Sun also has collected a number of foreign copper medals, such as a set of six dinosaur-themed coins.
Sun works for a company at Jiangqiao, which is close to a branch factory of Shanghai Mint. He often goes to the factory's retail store, looking for newly issued copper medals. As his collection increased, he developed an interest in the minting process of copper medals.
He applied three times, without success, for permission to visit the mint. Then, a friend in collection circle introduced him to the person in charge of the mint's craft department. He was then able to visit the plant and view the entire manufacturing process of copper medals.
Now he has fulfilled his dream of designing his own copper medals.
Last year's total solar eclipse inspired him to think about rarely seen events. Sun was also influenced by a poster he saw of US astronaut Neil Armstrong's moon walk 40 years ago. He spent more than two months on the design.
The coin design features Armstrong's moon landing scene, a bust of Armstrong, his footprint on the moon, and his famous words: "One small step for a man, one giant leap for mankind."
Another design is distinctively Chinese. Tiangou, a mythological dog, opens its big mouth to swallow the sun, while on the reverse surface are antique ornamentation and the images of a sunbird and toad.
Sun asked a professional factory to make copper medals based on his designs. More than 150 of his sets have been sold.
As a member of the local wetland protection organization, Sun also designed a set of copper medals themed on wetland protection. On one side of the medal it is a vibrant scene of luxuriant vegetation and a group of flying egrets. The other side of it features an arid landscape as a reminder of what will occur if wetlands aren't protected.
During the interview at Sun's home, his son showed us his own pencil design for a copper medal. The Oriental Pearl TV Tower stands in the center, flanked by the Jin Mao Tower and International Convention Center.
"Now we have two collectors in our family," Sun said proudly.
Sun Peirong belongs to that esoteric group. The Nanxiang Town resident took up the hobby six years ago and now has more than 400 copper medals in his collection.
He is mostly self-taught in the art of medal design. The hobby must be infectious. His six-year-old son is also taking a keen interest.
Sun, 36, is especially proud of the six big Expo medals in his collection. The coins are imprinted with the World Expo 2010 Shanghai blue mascot Haibao, the red China Pavilion and the Expo theme "Better City, Better Life."
"During Expo, Shanghai Mint and several other companies issued more than 10 big copper medals," Sun said. "I bought some of my favorites not just for collection but to memorize the Expo Shanghai."
Six years ago, Sun's father obtained from a friend a special Chinese zodiac copper medal to mark the Year of the Rabbit. Sun was immediately attracted to the high-relief of the coin, which was less than palm-sized.
He logged on to the Internet and found that there were 12 Chinese zodiac copper coins. Why not try to collect all of them? He accomplished his goal in two years, after visiting coin shops, Shanghai Ming and surfing various websites where collectors exchange items.
"Look, the tiger copper coin was only 100 yuan (US$16) when it was released, but now its price has skyrocketed to more than 8,000 yuan," said Sun.
Compared with ordinary souvenir coins, copper medals feature larger sizes, richer cultural connotations and more aesthetic appeal because of their high relief.
Sun proudly displayed his most hard-won copper medal - a memento of the flag-handing-over ceremony at the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games.
This coin was originally released in gift sets. It was hard to buy in the market, but Sun was very eager to add it to his collections.
By chance a Beijing collector posted a notice on the Internet, saying he was willing to sell the copper medal. Sun quickly got in touch with him. Fearing that it might get lost even in express delivery, he flew personally to Beijing to conclude the deal.
"This medal was priced at 5,000 yuan, and it cost me more than 7,000 yuan, including flight and accommodation expenses," Sun said. "But I think it was worth it."
He added, "There are few domestic copper medal collectors. I have met only one in Jiading District. I believe the hobby will pick up popularity once more people become aware of the cultural meanings in these copper items."
To further that goal, Sun built a themed website (http://club.shdtz.com) to spread the culture and charm of copper medals. He has made a lot of new friends through the website, which has among the highest click-rates of similar sites.
Sun also has collected a number of foreign copper medals, such as a set of six dinosaur-themed coins.
Sun works for a company at Jiangqiao, which is close to a branch factory of Shanghai Mint. He often goes to the factory's retail store, looking for newly issued copper medals. As his collection increased, he developed an interest in the minting process of copper medals.
He applied three times, without success, for permission to visit the mint. Then, a friend in collection circle introduced him to the person in charge of the mint's craft department. He was then able to visit the plant and view the entire manufacturing process of copper medals.
Now he has fulfilled his dream of designing his own copper medals.
Last year's total solar eclipse inspired him to think about rarely seen events. Sun was also influenced by a poster he saw of US astronaut Neil Armstrong's moon walk 40 years ago. He spent more than two months on the design.
The coin design features Armstrong's moon landing scene, a bust of Armstrong, his footprint on the moon, and his famous words: "One small step for a man, one giant leap for mankind."
Another design is distinctively Chinese. Tiangou, a mythological dog, opens its big mouth to swallow the sun, while on the reverse surface are antique ornamentation and the images of a sunbird and toad.
Sun asked a professional factory to make copper medals based on his designs. More than 150 of his sets have been sold.
As a member of the local wetland protection organization, Sun also designed a set of copper medals themed on wetland protection. On one side of the medal it is a vibrant scene of luxuriant vegetation and a group of flying egrets. The other side of it features an arid landscape as a reminder of what will occur if wetlands aren't protected.
During the interview at Sun's home, his son showed us his own pencil design for a copper medal. The Oriental Pearl TV Tower stands in the center, flanked by the Jin Mao Tower and International Convention Center.
"Now we have two collectors in our family," Sun said proudly.
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