This is a “Guangxu Yuanbao” silver coin minted in the 31th year of Guangxu (AD 1905), during the Eesze year, by the Jilin Arsenal, with a denomination of 7 Mace 2 Candareens. The obverse of the coin depicts a five-clawed coiled dragon exhaling flames, available in two variants: “large scales” and “fine scales.” Distinguishing features include semicircular or whisker-like scales below the dragon’s mouth. This particular item belongs to the “large scales” variant.
On both sides of the obverse, the formal name of the country, “Da Qing Guo” (Great Qing State), is written in Manchu script, serving as a divider. At the upper edge, “KIRIN. PROVINCE” is inscribed in English, while at the lower edge, the simplified denomination “7 CAINDARINS 2” is displayed in English. There are three variations in the English spelling of “candareens” used by Jilin Province: “CANDAREENS,” “CANDARINS,” and “CAINDARINS.”
On the reverse side of the coin, there is a beaded border, with the central motif featuring the four characters “Guangxu Yuanbao” surrounding a Taiji symbol. The year of the zodiac, “Eesze”, is inscribed on the sides of the beaded circle. “Made in Jilin Province” is inscribed at the top edge, and the full denomination “Kuping 7 Mace 2 Candareens” is at the bottom edge.
This coin is embedded in a silver dish crafted by the renowned Shanghai silversmith Zee Sung, with the manufacturing period estimated to fall roughly between AD 1927 and AD 1932.
Milling method in Jilin began with the establishment of the “Jilin Arsenal” in the 10th year of Guangxu (AD 1884). By the 22nd year of Guangxu (AD 1896), the Jilin Arsenal started minting the Guangxu Yuanbao. It was not until the 25th year of the Guangxu Emperor’s reign (AD 1899) that the Jilin Mint began to add the cyclical characters of the Chinese zodiac to the reverse side, becoming a prominent feature of the coins in the province.
