20 to .25 Tical.jpg

It was suggested to me that these very ornate birds were from a foundry in Mandalay. Has anyone heard this also?
They seem quite recent, are sometimes highly decorated, and are as heavy as 1A birds, typically well over 16g/tical.

An old man in the marketplace in Yangon told me that these were "kissing birds" and are good luck. I am hoping so! ~Jack

Very sweet! Well, it certainly is no problem to call them “kissing” although I never heard anyone else call them this. They certainly have the lips, eh?

Personally, this group is among my favorites. I have one piece that required 3 years of return/repeated negotiations to acquire. My photos aren’t great, but this one is essentially un-circulated/mint condition. I’ll also post a photo of one that is really a “bob-tail” (short) specimen.

These are one of the two groups of ornate Shan birds. Some have the star-shaped foundry marks and some have the bird-shaped mark. These are all among the last official weights, dating from 1865+, most likely introduced during the later part of King Mindon’s reign.

I will post photos of the two different groups, and show some variations that I have found in each group.






The "bob-tail" specimen.

These are the other ornate Shan group. Also from the same period. Note the variation in the comb, as well as the foundry marks.

I especially like the set with one head knob! I have never seen these before.

These 2 bird types do look to be the most recent.. very fresh and new looking. I have a 20 tical (very ornate) bird with the 6 ray star that looks like it left the foundry before it was completed. Most of the bird is well finished, and a few areas are rough and need filing and smoothing. I will try to get a photo.

Here are photos of my 1A birds (the style with bird signs on the base). Some are well finished and decorated, and others are quite crude and cartoon like. ~Jack

1A set 1.JPG
1A set 2.JPG
1A set 3.JPG