Digital museum showcasing the collection of worldwide legends over the years! 千古不朽博物館展示多年來收藏的世界傳奇故事!
Qing Dynasty,
Guangxu Yuanbao, 10 Cash,
Emperor Guangxu 29th,
Szechuen Province
清
光緒元寶 十文
光緒二十九年
四川省造
Item number: A221
Year: AD 1903-1908
Material: Copper
Size: 27.9 x 27.9 x1.9 mm
Weight: 8.38 g
Manufactured by: Chengdu Mint,Szechuen
Provenance: Teutoburger Münzauktion GmbH 2022
This is a copper coin with a denomination of twenty wen, minted at the Chengdu Mint in Sichuan from the 29th year of Guangxu (AD 1903), known as “Guangxu Yuanbao”. The obverse features two sets of beaded circles, with a dragon in the centre facing right, its body adorned with a trident decoration. The perimeter of the beaded circles is demarcated by solid five-petalled flowers on both sides, with the minting location “Szechuen” and the denomination “10 Cash” inscribed in English above and below, respectively. The reverse also features two sets of beaded circles, with the inscription “Guangxu Yuanbao” surrounded by a floral design at the centre. The perimeter is divided by the Manchu script “Bao Chuen”, with “Made in Szechuen Province” and “Worth Ten” inscribed in Chinese above and below, respectively.
The history of copper coin minting in Szechuen began in the 28th year of Guangxu (AD 1902), when the then Governor Cen Chunxuan advocated for the minting of copper coins, with official minting commencing the following year. By the end of the Qing Dynasty, Szechuen hosted two copper coin minting factories, located in Chengdu and Chongqing respectively. Initially, materials for minting these coins were primarily sourced from spent ammunition cases; however, as demand increased, local copper mines were also exploited for coin production.
The Szechuen Mint produced “Guangxu Yuanbao” copper coins in three denominations: “Worth Five”, “Worth Ten”, and “Worth Twenty”. In the 30th year of Guangxu (AD 1904), a trial minting of a “Worth Thirty” denomination was conducted but was not adopted.