What were the ancient ingots like?

Before Sui and Tang Dynasties, it was called "silver cake" and "silver barrel", Song and Jin Dynasties called "silver ingot" and Yuan Dynasty called "silver ingot". At this time, the word "Yuanbao" contains the meaning of "the treasure of the Yuan Dynasty". During the Ming and Qing Dynasties, silver was the main currency, and ingots were popular. Most of the ingots we see today are from the Ming and Qing Dynasties. ?

Nowadays, most of the silver ingots in Ming Dynasty are regarded as the representative shapes of China silver ingots. Silver ingots appearing in movies and TV programs are all artistically processed on this basis. It is understood that the largest silver ingot in the Ming Dynasty weighed 500 taels. The name, weight and craftsman's name are cast on the big ingot, and the year number is sometimes cast on the small ingot. Many silver ingots were handed down and unearthed in the Ming Dynasty. ?

There were the most kinds of silver ingots in Qing Dynasty. Each region has its own representative shape. Generally speaking, there are ingots, circles, rectangles, weights, waists, archways and so on. There are four kinds: one is Yin Bao, which is horseshoe-shaped and weighs 50 taels; The second type is medium ingot, mostly hammer-shaped, weighing about 10, also known as small ingot; The third type is a spatula or shovel, which looks like steamed bread and weighs 122, also called small ingot; The fourth kind is less than one or two pieces of scattered silver, with names such as dripping water and praying beads. ?

? After the silver ingot is cast, it will be appraised by the public appraisal bureau, and the weight and color will be checked with ink. The fineness of silver ingots in Ming and Qing dynasties is generally between 95 and 98, and the appearance has the special luster and moist feeling of silver. Because there is residual gas in the mold during casting, there is an irregular air cavity at the bottom of the silver ingot, commonly known as honeycomb. Honeycomb is an important reference condition for distinguishing authenticity and color. If the honeycomb is deep, the holes are round and bright, full of air and bright in color, the color will be good. If the honeycomb is gray-black, then the silver ingot is likely to be low-colored or fake. Silver surface is easy to oxidize, so there is often a layer of black-gray silver oxide. ?