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Qing Dynasty
Qianlong Treasure Coin½ Sho
Qianlong 58th year, Tibet
清
乾隆寶藏 ½錢
乾隆五十八年 西藏造
Item number: A171
Year: AD 1793
Material: Silver
Size: 19.0 x 19.0 x 0.5 mm
Weight: 1.5 g
Provenance: Spink 2023
This “Qianlong Treasure Coin” silver coin, with a face value of ½ sho, was minted in the 58th year of the Qianlong reign (AD 1793) by the “BaoZang Bureau” in Lhasa. On the obverse side of the coin, the inner circle imitates the square hole coins of the Han region but with solid square holes. Surrounding this, in clockwise order from top to bottom and left to right, are the four characters “Qianlong Treasure Coin” in Chinese, accompanied by four auspicious cloud motifs. Encircling this inner design is a ring of twenty-four round pearls, with the year “fifty-eight” engraved in clockwise order.
On the reverse side of the coin, the inner circle similarly imitates the square hole of a Chinese coin, with inscriptions arranged clockwise from top to bottom, right, and left. These inscriptions are the Tibetan transliteration of the Chinese phrase “Qianlong Treasure Coin” (Tibetan: Chan Lung Pau Gtsang). Surrounding this, there is also a bead-like border consisting of twenty-four beads, along with the Tibetan numerals “58” (Tibetan: Inga Bchu Rtsa Brgyad) representing the ruling year.
Since the fifth century, Tibet has maintained close commercial trade with the kingdoms of the Kathmandu Valley in the southern foothills of the Himalayas. Starting from the seventeenth century, Tibet annually provided a large amount of silver to Nepal, which was then used by the latter to mint silver coins. With the unification of the Kathmandu Valley’s three kingdoms under the rule of King Prithvi Narayan Shah in AD 1767, negotiations between the Khalsa dynasty and Tibet over the purity of minted silver coins broke down, leading to increased trade and border conflicts between the two nations.
In AD 1788 and AD 1791, Nepal–Tibet Wars erupted, during which the Khalsa forces briefly occupied thefief of the Panchen Lama, the Tashi Lhunpo Monastery. Sensing the escalating situation, Emperor Qianlong dispatched his nephew, Prince Jiayong of the Second Rank, Fukan’an, to lead Qing forces into Tibet. In AD 1792, facing the advance of Fukan’an’s troops towards the Nepalese capital Kathmandu, the Khalsa dynasty surrendered and became a vassal state of the Qing Empire. Concurrently, Emperor Qianlong exploited the war to enhance the authority and military presence of the Imperial Commissioner-Resident of Tibet, strengthening Qing control and influence over Tibet.
Against this backdrop, Fukan’an, together with the Dalai Lama and the Panchen Lama, negotiated the “29-Article Ordinance for the More Effective Governing of Tibet” and subsequently established the “BaoZang Bureau” in Lhasa in AD 1792. The following year, they commenced the minting of standardized silver coins known as the “Qianlong Treasure Coin” in denominations of 1 ½ sho, 1 sho, and ½ sho. During the reign of Emperor Qianlong, these coins were minted in the years 58, 59, 60, and 61. The minting process adopted the manual “engraved plate pressing” technique prevalent in the Inner Eurasia region, resulting in each coin possessing unique characteristics in its patterns and inscriptions.