Types and Styles of Chopmarks

Below we see various types and styles of chopmarks you might encounter on coins. This isn't an exhaustive list, among the many thousands and thousands of chopmark tools used, you can find many flavors of characters, shapes and creative symbols, across a variety of stylistic categories.

If you'd like to learn more about the Chinese Calligraphic Arts, including the different types of script this page is helpful.

Small size (typically mid-to-late 1700's) and Large size

Small size chopmark (typically mid-to-late 1700's)

Incuse or Relief marks

Assay mark

Assay mark: 紋銀 - wén yín - silver of acceptable quality

Latin Letters

Numbers

The right example may represent a stylized Chinese word instead of the letter 5, but you can see the resemblance

Foreign Mintmarks

Mexico City mintmark

Pseudo Chinese

Pseudo Chinese character

Curved / Decorative shapes

Curvy / Ornate chopmark

Rusted chopmark tools

Chopmark made with rusted punch

Manchu or Manchu derived

ᠪᠣᠣ — boo - mint, treasury, bureau - this word would be familiar because it existed on some Qing period cash coins, where it meant "board of revenue"

This looks similar to ᡷ᠊ᡳ a composite "loanword" used to represent sounds like "zhi" in Chinese, often transliterated as j’i, jy, or zhy depending on the romanization system. In Chinese, 制 (zhi) can imply made "according to regulation, standardized or proper", familiar concepts related to chopmarks.