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 Tongbao,
Wuchang Prefecture
清 光緒通寶
武昌府造
Item number: A220
Year: AD 1901-1908
Material: Bronze
Size: 20.5 x 20.5 x 1.0 mm
Weight: 2.66 g
Manufactured by: Wuchang Prefecture Bureau,Hubei
Provenance: Teutoburger Münzauktion GmbH 2022
This is a square-holed bronze coin from the Xuantong period of the Qing Dynasty (AD 1909 to AD 1911), minted by the Canton mint using machinery. During the Guangxu period, the provinces began to widely adopt the mechanised minting of Western-style silver and copper coins, leading to a gradual decline in the circulation of square-holed coins. Consequently, the minting techniques for these coins evolved from traditional sand casting to mechanised minting.
The coin features the design of a square-holed coin, with a smooth, round hole punched in the centre using machinery. Traditionally, the square hole had practical purposes, such as threading coins together for ease of carrying and accounting. However, in the era of mechanised minting, the hole retained only cultural significance. The additional step of punching the hole even increased the production cost.
On the obverse of the coin, the characters “Xuantong Tongbao” are inscribed in the sequence “top, bottom, right, left.” The reverse features the characters “Bao Guang” on either side of the central square, indicating that it was minted by the Canton mint.